DW: Kosovo elections amid political divisions

The current election campaign in Kosovo is characterised not only by the usual competition among rival political parties, but also by the dissolution of one of the most important political alliances in the country in recent years -- between Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who has led the government for the past six years -- and former President Vjosa Osmani, writes Deutsche Welle.

Osman was already Albin Kurti's political ally and had the support of the prime minister when he was elected president of the Kosovo Assembly in 2021.

At the time, both were seen as an engine of change and the fight against corruption in Kosovo. Now, they're rivals.

No consensus in parliament

When Osman's mandate ended early this year, Kurti did not support him for a second term.

Kurti has said that the “president must be a unifying and representative figure” and that, according to him, Osmani has political ambitions to engage in a political party and seek direct support from voters.

Instead, the prime minister nominated candidates from his party, Vetevendosje. But opposition MPs did not line up after these candidates.

Sunday's early parliamentary elections -- third in just less than 16 months -- were prompted after the Kosovo Assembly in April failed for the second time to elect a new president.

Osmani now runs for parliament as a candidate for her previous party, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).

Speaking at an election rally, she told supporters: “You vote to decide whether Kosovo will be a state of its own citizens or a single state to a man”.

Why the Kurti-Osman alliance broke down?

“Kurti and Osmani are politicians with opposing ideological orientations who joined the current political synergy, perceived by citizens as the hope of change, especially against corruption”, political analyst and journalist professor Arben Fetosti told DW.

Fethoshi went on to say that although both had differences in foreign policy and on the issue of co-ordination with international partners, they had no major clashes during the government's four-year term, Kurti.

“Therefore, their rivalry in the current race stems mainly from the lack of support for Osman's second mandate, but does not rule out the personal dimension and ideological orientation of each”, he said.

Political deadlock

Analysts say that for a country still trying to consolidate democratic institutions, draw close to the EU and advance dialogue with neighbouring Serbia, the seemingly endless cycle of elections in Kosovo highlights another major problem, respectively, its political class's inability to build institutional compromise.

Kurt's Vetevendosje has won several elections since 2021, finally receiving 51% of the vote in the late December 28th elections, about 30 percentage points ahead of the closest rival Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). This has given Kurt a considerable advantage over his political rivals.

Politologist Artan Mujaziri says the huge electoral gap between Kurti Vetevendosje and opposition parties has created a new political imbalance in which neither side is able to push ahead with the solution.

He warns that if the results of these elections do not bring major changes, the current stalemate could continue.

The Influence on Foreign Relations

The consequences of the current situation are not limited to domestic policy.

Relations between Kurti's government and Western partners have been difficult in recent years, especially due to tensions in northern Kosovo, where over 90% of the population are Kosovo Serbs, and the fact that the Kurti government has taken unilateral steps there despite criticism from Washington and Brussels.

These actions include closing down Serb parallel structures operating in Kosovo's Serb-run areas, such as Serbian post offices, offices that issue various Serbian documents to Kosovo Serb citizens and municipal facilities.

As a result, Kosovo has faced EU punitive measures and an apparent cooling of relations with some of its allies.

Kosovo, Serbia, EU

Kosovo is the only Balkan country that still does not have EU candidate status.

EU officials have repeatedly declared that Kosovo's European integration depends on the success of dialogue with Serbia on improving bilateral relations and the lives of citizens in both countries.

Artan Mujariri confirms this, adding: “The naive disregard of this stance only deepens the current stagnation, leaving hundreds of millions in financial injections [EU support] and numerous possibilities for political and economic recovery”.

There has also been disagreement over how dialogue is managed with Serbia.

However, Arben Fetosi says that the stalemate in dialogue with Serbia, mediated by the EU, cannot be understood without considering Serbia's approach to the process.

“Blocks in the Brussels dialogue have another dimension because of Serbia's aggressive approach and its expansionist goals. [Serbia's] hybrid intervention in Kosovo especially in the elections aims to control the representation of the Serb community in order to continue using it as an instrument against Kosovo,” he said, adding that EU neutrality in the normalisation process between the two neighbours has not been successful.

The escalation of political rhetoric

Another feature of the June 7th election campaign is toughing the political language, not only at electoral gatherings, but also in social networks.

Alban Zeneli, professor of journalism at Pristina University, told DW that this shift towards a harsher language is being used as an electoral tool.

“Politicians are using this language, which is extremely polarizing and includes insults, labeling and simplification, as an election tactic to divide and dominate. In this way, they polarise and divide society to gain more support”, he told DW.

“This language has serious consequences for society, even sharing it on issues that are not very political, such as economy, security and educational policies”, he said.

Zeneli went on to say that after almost two years of national and local election campaigns, rhetoric has escalated, resulting in “physical impact, threats and violence online against political opponents”.

What Kosovo needs from these elections

Analysts who spoke to DW agreed that despite the parties' promises of economic development, salary increases or strategic investments, a key question in this election campaign remains whether Kosovo politicians are willing to build the compromise culture they currently lack.

But even more important than that is the question of whether Sunday's elections will finally give Kosovo a political elite capable of governing, co-operating and turning the country back on the path of reforms, dialogue and European integration.