Kosovo’s parliament re-elected Albin Kurti as prime minister on Sunday after his party finished first in the June elections, but continued uncertainty over the election of a new president could send the country back to the polls.
Kurti secured 62 votes in Kosovo’s 120-seat Assembly.
“This mandate is about bringing back security and prosperity for our citizens in a strong way,” Kurti said ahead of the vote. He argued that repeated elections had only prevented the same government from governing effectively.
In late August, Kurti reached an agreement with the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), which holds 18 seats, to support law professor Bekim Sejdiu as the country’s next president. However, a day later, six LDK lawmakers said they would not follow their party leader’s decision.
It remains unclear when the presidential vote will take place. If parliament fails to elect a new president, Kosovo could be forced into another snap election — its fourth in just two years.
Kosovo is seeking membership in the European Union, but Brussels has repeatedly stressed the importance of stable institutions capable of implementing the reforms required for further integration.
Political instability has delayed reforms and slowed access to EU funding. Electing the president, whose role is largely ceremonial, requires a two-thirds majority in parliament.
The opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) boycotted the session and said they would ask the Constitutional Court to review whether the law had been violated during the constitution of the Assembly.
LDK lawmakers also did not participate in the vote on the new government.
