Even at the end of the deadline, the president's calculations do not stop

In the background, the process appears not only to be a formal constitutional obligation, but part of a broader political calculations by Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

“Kurti targets a president who will be under his control in important political moments”, says about Radio Free Europe Imer Mushkolaj, connoisseur of developments in Kosovo.

He estimates that the current president Vjosa Osmani's diplomatic activity prevents Kurti's calculations, so it is looking for a new name. On Monday, February 23rd, Kurti said he is making every effort to avoid early elections, which would be followed by the president's election.

President Osmani's mandate expires on April 4th, while the deadline for electing the new president is March 4th on the contrary, new parliamentary elections must be held within 45 days.

Osmani has made it clear that he is aiming for a new mandate, but Kurti '%s' whose party, the Vetevendosje Movement, does not mention its name in the Parliament.

He did not formally rule it out, but noted it would be futile for the party to propose a candidate, as it alone could secure the maximum 66 votes far away from the number of 80 votes needed for the president's election.

On this issue, Kurti met with the heads of the two largest opposition parties on Sunday, Bedri Hamza of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, and on Monday, Lumir Abdixhiku of the Democratic League of Kosovo.

Hamza expressed readiness for parliamentary co-ordination for, as he said, issues of state and national interest, while Obadiah requested either political agreement or consensus.

Kurti acknowledged that the situation for electing the president is not easy.

I see no zeal for new elections and this is a common one we have. These elements make me optimistic”, he told reporters.

However, he did not mention any concrete candidate, even when asked about an opportunity by hero Adam Yasar's family.

Names from this family, in the past, have been cited as potential candidates for president, but none of them have ended up in official proposals.

I think Kurt may have a name to propose, in the hope that the opposition will support it. I don't know if this name will come from the Jashari” family, Mushkolaj says, adding that the whole process is developing with a disturbing lack of transparency.

According to Mushkolajt, Kurti's public messages imply that it may give up the possibility of Osman winning a new mandate. But, he warns that if Vetevendosje and the opposition do not find a common name, it could return as a candidate to avoid new elections.

To avoid early elections, it is not ruled out for Mrs. Osmani to be back in play”, Mushkolaj estimates.

But, deep down, I believe Kurt is interested in a person who doesn't fuck math around”, he adds.

In the 2021 parliamentary elections, Osman competed on a list with Kurt and was among the most voted candidates in Kosovo.

She was elected president in April that year and in foreign policy marked several achievements from securing new international recognitions of Kosovo to membership at the Peace Board for Gaza an initiative launched by US President Donald Trump.

With Kurt, in some cases, there have been indirect clashes, such as alliances with Western allies or the fee for US imports.

Political analyst Ilir Deda estimates that the future president must be someone who “deeply understands and recognises the international issues and Kosovo's position in the global arena”.

“We need to know which candidate profile would make the three major parties in Kosovo feel comfortable . LVV, PDK and LDK. Will President Osmani's mandate continue, or will a new figure be chosen? We still don't know that”, Deda adds.

Speaking to Radio Free Europe, he estimates that the election of a consensual president would bring institutional stability, but, until now, political parties, he says, are seeing the process mainly by party prism, not the country's.

Currently, according to him, it is not in the interest of Kosovo, nor of parties, that new elections be held due to the failure of the president's election.

Kosovo held two sets of elections last year, as the results of the February 2025 elections failed to defeat Kurti '%s' even though his party won to form the new Government.

Osman did not make any public statements after the meetings Kurti held with opposition leaders, but in its social networks, he made some summarys of the 5-year mandate from visits abroad to meetings with the diaspora.

The position of the president cannot be placed especially in the current situation that there is no haber in the field of international relations. This would harm both Kosovo and the presidential institution”, Deda concludes. /Periscope