Britain warns Kosovo: Blockada endangers international support

In a statement given Free Europe RadioAfter the June 7th early parliamentary elections, he praised citizens for participating in the elections and praised the Central Election Commission's commitment to their organisation in the short term.

However, the British diplomat noted that the political crisis is seriously jeopardising Kosovo's future.

Kosovo should be proud of its democratic history since independence. The UK is proud to have been close to Kosovo at every step. But visible low turnout in Sunday's elections shows that citizens' patience with politicians is depleting”, Hargrees told Radio Free Europe.

The June 7th elections were held following Kosovo's decision to elect the president, in line with a Constitutional Court decision.

It was the third election process in less than a year and a half, following regular elections on February 9th 2025 and another early process on December 28th.

According to the CEC preliminary results, the incumbent Prime Minister's Vetevendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, came in first with about 42 per cent of the vote, followed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo with about 21 per cent, the Democratic League of Kosovo with about 17 per cent, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo with about 7 per cent, and the Serb List with about 6 per cent.

Hargreeves said the crises and institutional blockades of a year and a half are seriously damaging Kosovo's position in the international arena.

These drives risk weakening Kosovo's credibility and progress internationally. They enable Kosovo's opponents to present it as a weak and unstable country, while making it difficult for allies to protect and support”, the British ambassador said.

He added that Kosovo urgently needs political stability and functional institutions, stressing that parties must reach agreement on forming the Assembly, Government and electing the president so that the country can make decisions and produce results.

The “Assembly has only been fully operational for about 10 weeks in the last 75 weeks. Much of this time has been dedicated to procedures, not to the influence of the people of Kosovo”, Harreaves said, adding that “is vital to ensure that the rapid certificate of results, respect of the will of voters and interparty agreement on forming institutions”.

According to him, Kosovo has a strong constitutional framework that encourages co-operation instead of dominance, but its functioning depends on the willingness of political leaders for compromise and co-operation.

After announcing the results, Kurti left open the possibility of negotiating with other political representatives, but without clear signals of quick deals.

Chairman The PDK, Bedri Hamza, said it does not exclude any party from co-operation for forming new institutions, while LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku decided on the condition for talks the inclusion of Vjosa Osman in the presidential post.

Calls for the quick formation of institutions made the embassies of other sites in Quint, Germany and Italy the previous day.

We need a strong partner we can work with. Progress on the road towards EU integration depends on all political actors putting aside their differences and working together in the country's best interest”, the German Embassy told REL.

The Italian Embassy said it encourages all political leaders to engage in constructive dialogue and work together for the good of the country and its future.

The US and France did not respond to REL's demands for comment. /Periscope