Kosovo faces a fresh political test as analysts warn that the process of electing the country’s next president could trigger a new institutional deadlock, despite a clear parliamentary victory for Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Vetëvendosje movement.
Vote counting from the Dec. 28 parliamentary election, including ballots cast by mail from abroad, is still underway, with updated results already reshaping the distribution of seats in parliament.
Vetëvendosje, which won more than 50% of the vote, now holds 57 seats in the 120-member assembly. It is followed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) with 23 seats, while the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) has dropped to 14. The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) remains unchanged with six seats.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) said final results could be announced earlier than the initially planned Jan. 19 date, after which they will be formally certified.
Even before certification, Kurti has raised the prospect of fresh elections if parliament fails to elect a president by early March. The mandate of President Vjosa Osmani expires at the end of April, but her successor must be elected at least a month earlier.
Kurti has said he does not need the backing of other Albanian parties to form a government, but acknowledged that electing a president requires a broader consensus. Under Kosovo’s constitution, at least two-thirds of lawmakers must be present in parliament during the first two rounds of voting — a threshold his party currently cannot meet alone.
“If we fail to elect a president by the deadline of March 4, and if the 2026 budget has not been passed, we would not even be able to hold new elections,” Kurti told local media. “We have 61 votes, but we do not have 80. First, we must constitute parliament, form the government and pass the budget — these are the most important steps.”
Kurti said talks with Osmani were necessary to discuss her interest in a second five-year term. Osmani has already said she intends to seek re-election to continue implementing what she described as her plans “in the interest of the country”.
If lawmakers refuse to back her candidacy, Osmani has warned she would remain politically active and confront her rivals in any future elections.
“Ultimately, it is up to the deputies to decide whether to support me or not,” Osmani said. “If not, I will continue my engagement through political activity and face ideas, positions, and visions whenever elections are held.”
Opposition parties PDK, LDK, and AAK have so far refrained from commenting on government formation or the presidential vote, saying they are waiting for the final certification of results. Political analysts say compromise will be unavoidable.
Ehat Miftaraj of the Kosovo Law Institute said the election of a president without 80 votes for the winning bloc would require a political agreement around a unifying figure who could serve with integrity and impartiality.
He added that Kosovo urgently needs, immediately after forming a government, to pass the 2026 budget and ratify key international agreements, including the EU-backed Growth Plan.
“Kosovo cannot afford new elections,” Miftaraj said, warning of long-term damage to European integration and trust among international partners.
Another analyst, Artan Muhaxhiri, said the presidential election process itself could become a new blocking mechanism.
“The wide gap between Vetëvendosje and other parties means only one thing: a return to constructive cooperation through mutual compromise,” he said. “Any other approach automatically pushes Kosovo into new elections.”
A fresh election cycle, Muhaxhiri added, would signal deep political failure and further entrench economic and institutional stagnation.
Under Kosovo’s constitution, the president is elected by secret ballot in parliament. A two-thirds majority is required in the first two rounds. If no candidate succeeds, a third round is held between the top two contenders, requiring a simple majority. Failure at that stage dissolves parliament and triggers new elections within 45 days.