How conflict with EU, US and Serbia has plunged Kosovo into a political crisis

Parliamentary elections in the partially recognised Republic of Kosovo were held back on 9 February. But on 2 June, yet another, the 25th, attempt to form a new government failed.

For four months now, members of parliament have been gathering every 48 hours for new sessions, yet they remain unable to agree on electing either a speaker or a new government.

As a result, Europe’s youngest country finds itself in a deep political crisis, with no clear way out.

Read more about the unprecedented challenges in Kosovo in the article by Western Balkans expert Volodymyr Tsybulnyk: 25 failures in a row: why Kosovo has fallen into a sharp political crisis and what it means.

The most recent parliamentary elections brought victory to the Vetëvendosje party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Albin Kurti. But that’s where the good news ends for him.

His party performed worse than in the previous elections, winning only 48 seats – 10 fewer than last time.

That is clearly not enough to form a majority in Kosovo’s 120-seat parliament. Forming a coalition has proven exceptionally difficult.

The core reason for the current crisis is that the opposition demands Kurti’s removal from power, yet it cannot form a government of its own.

How did it come to this? First, it’s worth noting that Kurti and his party represent a new generation of Kosovar politicians. One that replaced those who had fought for and won Kosovo’s independence and its recognition by leading Western powers.

However, the price of that recognition was significant concessions to the Serb minority, made under Western pressure. For example, the West’s desire to "settle" the Serb minority issue led to the existence of parallel governance structures in municipalities populated by ethnic Serbs (mainly in the north of the country).

Kurti took a much more radical approach, which is unacceptable to the opposition. In an attempt to bring Kosovo’s north fully under Pristina’s control, the prime minister escalated tensions with the EU and even the United States to unprecedented levels.

As a result, the EU imposed sanctions on Kosovo (albeit mild ones), while Serbia faced none. The opposition fears that amid rising security risks, poor relations with the West could prove extremely costly for Kosovo.

At the same time, the opposition cannot form a government either, as 10 parliamentary seats are guaranteed to the Serb minority. Most of these are held by the Serbian List party, directly connected to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who is interested in deepening Kosovo’s political instability.

President Vjosa Osmani is in no hurry to dissolve parliament and call new elections, as it's unclear whether snap elections would do anything but further deepen the crisis.

The political crisis is only compounding Kosovo’s already difficult situation: a large portion of the population lives in poverty, and the country struggles with corruption, organised crime and drug trafficking.

These challenges can be overcome only with the help of the European Union.

However, the main hurdle on Kosovo’s path to EU integration remains normalising relations with Serbia through the resumption of negotiations. Talks were frozen after Serbian terrorists attacked the village of Banjska in Kosovo in 2023.

Among the challenges facing Kosovo’s newly elected MPs is another significant figure – Richard Grenell, the former US special envoy for Kosovo-Serbia normalisation talks.

Grenell remains close to President Donald Trump, has friendly ties with Serbian President Vučić and is openly critical of Kosovo’s government.