Kosovo’s newly elected Parliament failed to convene on Tuesday, amid a deepening political standoff between the ruling Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) movement and opposition parties, raising concerns of an institutional crisis.
Lawmakers were unable to pass the first item on the agenda—approval of a report verifying mandates and quorum—after the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) voted against it.
The opposition claims several ministers from the caretaker government, who were elected to Parliament in the February 9 vote, failed to resign from their executive positions as required by law.
Under Article 26 of the Law on Government, ministers who are elected to Parliament must step down from their posts a day before the certification of election results. The Central Election Commission (CEC) certified the results on March 27.
Outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who heads Vetevendosje, said he had submitted his resignation in a letter dated March 27, informing the CEC that the government had transitioned into caretaker status. However, opposition parties argue the move was not legally sufficient.
Risk of institutional paralysis
Political analysts warn that the ongoing stalemate could paralyze the constitutional process of forming the new Parliament and government.
“If the verification report doesn’t pass, there will be no oath-taking by MPs and no candidate can be proposed for speaker of Parliament,” said Vullnet Bugaqku of the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI).
Kosovo’s parliamentary rules stipulate that a constitutive session may be suspended for no more than 48 hours. Lawmakers now face a deadline of Wednesday to resolve the impasse or risk prolonging the political uncertainty.
Eugen Cakolli, also from KDI, criticized the manner in which resignations were handled, calling the process legally vague. Legal expert Besar Gërgji warned that the deadlock could stretch for weeks, as neither the Constitution nor parliamentary rules define how many times the session can be suspended.
Delay seen as political maneuvering
Gërgji said both Vetevendosje and the opposition may be buying time to explore coalition options.
“Neither side currently commands the 61 votes needed to form a majority,” he told Radio Free Europe. “Triggering the countdown would give Vetevendosje only 15 days to form a government.”
If Vetevendosje fails to do so within that window, President Vjosa Osmani could offer the mandate to the runner-up party, PDK, to form a new government.
A path forward?
Foreign Minister Donika Gërvalla, who was also elected as an MP, has warned of an institutional crisis. She said procedural options for resubmitting the verification report are not clearly outlined in Kosovo’s legal framework.
Bugaqku urged Vetevendosje MPs to submit formal, public resignations from executive posts before the parliamentary speaker and rejoin the constitutive session, warning that failure to act would leave the country in limbo.
“If that happens, procedures can continue without further legal ambiguity,” he said. “Otherwise, there’s no mechanism for moving forward—not even new elections.”
Under parliamentary rules, the session must resume by Wednesday when the 48-hour suspension period expires.
