Election campaign on Kosovo is coming to an end. It was marked not only by the usual competition between rival political parties, but also by the collapse of one of the most important political alliances in recent years - the one between the prime ministers Aljbina Kurti and former presidents Vjose Osmani, he writes DW.
Osmani was previously a political ally of Albin Kurti and had his support when she was elected Speaker of the Kosovo Parliament in 2021. At that time, the two of them were seen as initiators of change and the fight against corruption Kosovo. Today they are political rivals.
There is no consensus in parliament.
When the mandate of Vjosa Osmani expired at the beginning of this year, Kurti did not support her for a second term. He stated that "the president should be a unifying and representative figure", and that, in his opinion, Osmani "has political ambitions" and is "seeking the direct support of voters".
Kurti proposed presidential candidates from his own party, Self-Determination. However, the opposition MPs did not support them.
Early parliamentary elections - the third in less than 16 months - were called after Kosovo's parliament failed to elect a new president for the second time in April.
Vjosa Osmani is now participating in the elections as a candidate of her former party, the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo (LDK). Speaking at a pre-election rally, she told supporters: "You are voting to decide whether Kosovo will be a state of its citizens or a state of only one man."
Kurti-Osmani rivalry
"Kurti and Osmani are politicians of different ideological orientations, who were united because of the political synergy of a certain moment, because they represented hope for change for the citizens, especially when it comes to the fight against corruption," political analyst and professor of journalism Arben Fetoshi told DW.
He adds that the two differ in their foreign policy and approach to coordination with international partners, but that during the four-year mandate of Kurti's government, they had no major conflicts.
"That's why their rivalry in this current campaign mainly stems from the lack of support for Vjosa Osmani's second term, but it does not exclude the personal dimension and ideological differences between them either," he said.
Political deadlock
Analysts from Pristina with whom DW spoke remind that Kosovo is trying to consolidate democratic institutions, to get closer to the European Union and to improve the dialogue with Serbia. The continuous election cycle points to another serious problem: the inability of the political class to reach an institutional compromise.
Kurti's Self-Determination party has won several elections since 2021, and in the last one, held on December 28 last year, it won 51 percent of the vote. That is about 30 percent more than its closest rival, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). This gives Kurti a significant advantage over his political opponents.
Political scientist Artan Muhajiri says that the large electoral difference between Self-Determination and opposition parties has created a new political imbalance in which neither party can impose solutions. He believes that if the results of these elections do not bring significant changes, the deadlock could last.
Impact on external relations
The consequences of the current situation are not limited to domestic politics.
Relations between Kurti's government and Western partners have been problematic in recent years, primarily due to tensions in the north of Kosovo, where more than 90 percent of the population are Kosovo Serbs, as well as the unilateral moves his government made, despite criticism from Washington and Brussels.
These moves include the abolition of parallel Serbian structures in Serb-majority areas, such as post offices, offices that issue Serbian documents to Kosovo Serb citizens, as well as municipal offices. Because of this, the government in Pristina faced punitive measures from the European Union and a significant cooling of relations with certain allies.
Kosovo, Serbia and the European Union
Kosovo is the only one in the Western Balkans that does not yet have the status of a candidate for EU membership. Union officials have repeatedly emphasized that integration depends on the success of the dialogue with Serbia.
Artan Muhajiri confirms this and adds: "Naively ignoring those views only deepens the current stagnation, while rejecting hundreds of millions of [EU] financial aid and numerous opportunities for political and economic recovery."
There are also disagreements about the way of conducting dialogue with Serbia. However, Arben Fetoši emphasizes that the deadlock in the dialogue, which is mediated by the EU, cannot be understood without taking into account Serbia's approach in that process.
"The deadlocks in the Brussels dialogue have another dimension - due to Serbia's aggressive approach and its expansionist goals. [Serbia's] hybrid interference in Kosovo, especially during the elections, aims to control the political representation of the Serbian community, in order to continue using it as an instrument against Kosovo," Fetoši told DW, adding that the European Union's neutrality in the process of normalizing relations between Serbia and Kosovo "was not successful."
Escalation of political rhetoric
Another feature of the election campaign ahead of the vote on June 7 is that the political language has sharpened - not only at election rallies, but also on social networks.
Aljban Zenelji, professor of journalism at the University of Pristina, explains to DW that it is used as an election tool. "That highly polarizing language, which includes insults, labeling and simplifications, is used by politicians as a 'divide and conquer' election tactic. They polarize and divide society in order to gain more support."
"Such language," emphasizes Zenelji, "has serious consequences for society, because it creates a gap even on issues that are not particularly political - such as economy, security and education policy."
Zenelji also points out that, after almost two years of continuous national and local election campaigns, the rhetoric has further escalated. This, he says, has resulted in "physical confrontations, threats and online violence against political opponents."
What does Kosovo need from these elections?
Analysts DW spoke to agree that, despite the parties' promises of economic development, wage increases or strategic investments, the key question remains whether Kosovo's politicians are ready to build the culture of compromise that is currently lacking.
An even more important question is whether the elections on Sunday will finally bring to power a political elite capable of managing, cooperating and returning Kosovo to the path of reform, dialogue and integration into the European Union.
Source: DW
