Kosovo

Albin Kurti's ruling Vetevendosje party pledges to appeal to the Constitutional Court against President Vjosa Osmani's dissolution of parliament, which was triggered by MPs failing to vote for her successor.

The deadline for MPs to elect a new head of state expires soon, and a fresh election looms if they do not compromise on a name – or grant Vjosa Osmani a second term. … March 5 is the last day when parliament can assemble to vote for a new President but, while the clock is ticking, no new name has been confirmed, even though many have been floated since the new President emerged as the main topic on the political agenda.

Closing statements in the trial of Hashim Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders have reignited controversy over allegations that the Hague-based war crimes court is effectively prosecuting the guerrilla force’s armed struggle. 

MPs elect Albin Kurti as Kosovo's new Prime Minister – as Brussels urges new government to resume stalled reforms and restart the EU-led dialogue with Serbia.

Kosovo’s election complaints panel called the Central Election Commission’s decision not to authorise the general election results achieved by the Belgrade-backed Srpska Lista party ‘unjustified’. … The decision was also criticised by Kosovo’s Western allies.

The Kosovo Central Election Commission, CEC, on Monday decided to recount votes cast at all polling stations in all 28 municipalities, after a recount in ten municipalities, which included 36 per cent of the 2,557 ballot boxes, showed manipulation of the votes cast for MP candidates in the first count. 

Hopes of a swift conclusion to Kosovo’s December 28 snap election took a blow on Tuesday after the Central Election Commission, CEC, said 36 per cent of 2,557 ballot boxes will undergo a recount over alleged irregularities in the first count. Ten municipalities will undergo a full recount while 28 others will see up to 10 per cent of the boxes reopened for a review. 

The move could potentially resuscitate the Balkan country's EU hopes, allowing this to be the year its EU membership application, submitted in late 2022, can finally be assessed by the European Commission. It may also allow for a restart of the Brussels-facilitated dialogue with Serbia after a two-year hiatus. 

Kosovo began and ended the year with parliamentary elections, first on February 9, then on December 28. The inconclusive first election led to months of impasse over how to constitute parliament, before a speaker was finally elected in late August. Even then, the winning Vetevendosje party failed to find the allies it needed to form a majority, forcing new elections.

Fresh elections look inevitable after Glauk Konjufca, the Vetevendosje party’s second proposal for prime minister, failed to get a majority of votes in parliament on Wednesday.