Osmani proposed herself for a second presidential term but was not backed by Vetëvendosje or the opposition, and declined to run after the ruling party nominated Konjufca and later offered to support her candidacy against him.
She also submitted constitutional amendments that would allow Kosovars to elect the president directly rather than through parliament, but the proposal failed to secure the needed support due to the absence of Serbian MPs.
“Naturally, citizens did not want elections. This situation was created by the failure of the Assembly to fulfill its constitutional duty,” Osmani said.
“No one should wish for another political cycle, especially at a moment when the country needs stability. But the country was brought here by irresponsible people with dangerous intentions,” she added.
“With this decision, I am returning the final word in a democracy to those who ultimately hold it — the citizens of Kosovo,” Osmani said.
She will now meet with party leaders on Friday to set an election date, which must occur within 45 days after the dissolution of parliament. However, the move may still face legal challenges after the parliamentary speaker, Albulena Haxhiu, asked the Constitutional Court for clarity on the election procedure, requesting a suspension of the deadline.
The vote will mark the Western Balkan country’s third election in just over a year, after spending much of 2025 in political deadlock as Kurti’s Vetëvendosje struggled to secure a governing majority.
Kurti’s decision not to back Osmani for president marks the end of a key political alliance in Kosovo, after the prime minister supported her in the last presidential election in 2021 but chose not to do so this time.