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The third vote within 18 months is expected to set the path for the creation of functional institutions and the advancement of reforms for integration into the European Union...
Voters in Kosovo headed to the polls on Sunday for parliamentary elections, the third in just 18 months, as no political force managed to secure the majority needed to end the political crisis that has engulfed the country.
Europe's newest state and one of the continent's poorest is aiming for European Union membership, but for much of the past year it has functioned without a consolidated government. Fragmented parliaments failed first to elect a speaker of parliament and then a new president.
Voting centers opened at 07:00, while the first official results are expected immediately after the closing of the process at 19:00.
Although no recent polls have been published, analysts predict a new victory for Prime Minister Albin Kurti's Vetevendosje Movement. However, they say Kurti will need to reach an agreement with opposition parties to secure the two-thirds majority required to elect the president, Reuters writes in an analysis of the Kosovo elections.
In the last elections, held in December, Vetëvendosje received 51.1 percent of the vote, up from 42 percent in the February 2025 elections. However, the party failed to secure the necessary support for its candidate for the presidency, a largely ceremonial post. This led to the dissolution of the parliament in April and the calling of early elections.
The repeated electoral process has delayed reforms and the disbursement of necessary funds from the European Union.
Citizens hope for an end to the political stalemate, while demanding higher wages and a more affordable cost of living to benefit from economic growth.
"The political class must be ready to reach an agreement. The country has faced deep divisions in recent years and this situation must end," declared Fatos Selimi after casting his vote in Pristina.
The European Union has called on Kosovo politicians to build stable and functional institutions that can implement the reforms necessary for membership in the European bloc.
The Vetevendosje Movement first came to power in 2021 with a program oriented towards social welfare and a more nationalist approach. Like other parties in Kosovo, it maintains a pro-Western orientation. The party also opposes further concessions to Serbia, with which relations remain tense.
The Central Election Commission has announced that more than 900 candidates from 17 political parties and three coalitions are running for the 120 seats in the Kosovo Assembly.
There are about 2.1 million registered voters, a figure higher than the resident population of about 1.6 million. This is related to the large Kosovar diaspora, concentrated mainly in Western Europe, which has traditionally supported Vetëvendosje.
The CEC, in a statement issued around noon, said that based on reports from the Municipal Election Commissions, voting is taking place under regular conditions and in accordance with the electoral procedures in force.
The CEC has announced that it has activated the operational room, which includes CEC officials, the State Prosecution, the Kosovo Police and KEDS, to coordinate and monitor the process throughout voting day.
"Every report received by responsible institutions and structures is being carefully reviewed and in accordance with the powers and legal procedures in force," the announcement states.
The CEC has compared this data with the elections of December 28, 2025, where by the same hour 8.27% of voters had voted. /Pamphlet/
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