The failure to elect the country's President within the constitutional deadline has led to the dissolution of the Assembly and paved the way for new parliamentary elections on June 7.
This development comes at a time when the political scene in Kosovo continues to be characterized by deep divisions and difficulties in reaching consensus on key state issues.
In this context, American professor of international relations, Alon Ben-Meir, in an interview with Lajmi, assessed the impact of these developments on the political stability and Euro-Atlantic future of the country.
He said that this unclear situation could also negatively affect the dialogue with Serbia and the benefit from regional and European Union initiatives.
“Continued political instability has implications for Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration. As analysts have noted, repeated elections and institutional deadlocks could slow down the implementation of reforms and shift focus away from strategic priorities, including the EU integration process and the dialogue with Serbia. This could also affect Kosovo’s ability to benefit from regional and EU-backed initiatives. It could also weaken Kosovo’s credibility as a reliable partner, embolden skeptical member states, and reduce the momentum for securing steps towards candidacy and security rapprochement,” Ben-Meir told lajmi.net.
In the end, Ben Meir emphasizes that breaking the deadlock requires serious commitment from political actors to build consensus and respect the constitutional framework.
“A possible way forward would involve renewed efforts by political actors to reach consensus on key institutional issues,” he says, adding that sustained political cooperation and engagement with international partners are essential for the country's stability.
Full interview:
"June 7 elections do not guarantee stability" - American professor's warning about Kosovo: Broad coalition may postpone the crisis, not solve it
“A possible way forward would involve renewed efforts by political actors to reach consensus on key institutional issues, especially those requiring qualified majorities. Strengthening respect for the constitutional framework and ensuring the effective functioning of institutions are essential steps. Moreover, sustained political cooperation would be important for advancing reforms and maintaining engagement with international partners. This may also require credible mediation by international partners, calibrated incentives for compromise and clearer costs for blockage, to gradually rebuild trust between rival parties,” he concluded for lajmi.net.
Months of efforts to elect a new president failed due to the lack of concessions from Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ruling party, the Vetevendosje Movement, and the two largest opposition parties, PDK and LDK.
Kurti had held meetings with their leaders in previous months, but they never seemed close to an agreement on a new president.
The ruling party put two candidates up for a vote in the Assembly on two occasions, including two that it said were non-partisan this month at the end of the constitutional mandate to elect the president – but in both cases the opposition left the hall, making the vote impossible.
The presence of 2/3 of the deputies in the 120-seat Assembly is required for the vote for the president of Kosovo to be valid.
The failure to elect a president within the deadline led to the dissolution of the Assembly and the direct move to parliamentary elections.
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