Key facts
- Albin Kurti was re-elected prime minister of Kosovo on Sunday.
- His Vetevendosje party won the June elections.
- Parliament approved Kurti's cabinet in a 66-49 vote.
- The new government plans to invest one billion euros in defense.
- Key priorities include securing international loans and reforming health and education systems.
- Kurti's party secured 57 seats in the 120-seat chamber.
Kosovo's parliament re-elected Albin Kurti as prime minister on Sunday, following his Vetevendosje party's victory in June elections. The vote concluded a year-long political deadlock.
Lawmakers in the 120-member assembly backed Kurti’s cabinet in a 66-49 vote on Wednesday. His Vetevendosje party secured 57 seats in the December snap elections with 51.1 percent of the vote. The new government's priorities include securing international loans, reforming health and education systems, and increasing defense investment, with plans to invest one billion euros ($1.18bn) for military purposes.
Kurti, a former political prisoner, has pledged to pursue the normalization of relations with Serbia, a key requirement for both countries' ambitions to join the European Union. Tensions remain high in Kosovo’s north, where most of the ethnic Serb minority live.
European Union High Representative Kaja Kallas urged the new government to move swiftly on reforms to unlock EU support and progress on its EU path. She also expressed readiness to host a high-level meeting between Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.