Key facts
- Vetevendosje leads Kosovo's parliamentary election with 43% of the vote.
- This is Kosovo's third parliamentary election in 18 months.
- The Democratic Party of Kosovo is polling at 21%, and the Democratic League of Kosovo at 18%.
- Voter turnout was approximately 37%.
- Vetevendosje needs coalition partners to form a government and a two-thirds majority to elect a new president.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti's Vetevendosje party has won Kosovo's parliamentary election, the country's third in 18 months, but has fallen short of the majority needed to resolve the prolonged political crisis. With 99.4% of ballots counted, Vetevendosje led with 43% of the vote. The party will require coalition partners to form a government and needs a two-thirds majority to elect a new president, a key step to ending the deadlock.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo garnered 21% of the vote, while the Democratic League of Kosovo received 18%. Voter turnout was below 37%, a decrease from previous elections, reflecting voter weariness with repeated elections and a desire for improved living standards.
Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008, aspires to join the European Union. However, successive elections and parliamentary deadlock have delayed necessary reforms and the flow of EU funds. Vetevendosje, a pro-Western party with a nationalist and welfare-focused agenda, opposes further concessions to Serbia, with whom relations remain strained.
Approximately 2.1 million voters were registered, a number exceeding the resident population, indicating a significant diaspora vote, which tends to favor Kurti's party. The election commission reported that over 900 candidates from 17 parties and three coalition groups competed for seats in the 120-seat parliament.