Kosovo's Kurti promises swift formation of new government after election win

PRISTINA (Reuters) – Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said he will swiftly form a new government after his party won half the votes in Sunday's election, signalling a possible end to the year-long political deadlock that has paralysed parliament and delayed key international funding.

The vote is the second this year in Kosovo after Kurti's Vetevendosje Party fell short of a majority in February. Months of failed coalition talks prompted President Vjosa Osmani to dissolve parliament in November and call an early election.

Kurti's party was leading with 49.3% of Sunday's vote, with 99% of votes counted after polls closed at 7 p.m. local time (1800 GMT).

"Once the results will be certified we should swiftly constitute the parliament and then form immediately a new government," Kurti told a press conference at his party's headquarters.

"We don't have time to lose and we should move forward as fast as we can together."

He called on members of the opposition to support him in voting for international loan deals, which require a two-thirds majority to pass.

Kurti's supporters chanted his name as they celebrated in the streets of Pristina, waving his party's flags as fireworks lit the sky in temperatures of minus-3 Celsius.

Analysts say it is difficult to predict whether Kurti will be able to form the government on his own without a coalition to secure the 61 seats in the 120-seat assembly. Conditional votes and votes from the Kosovo diaspora in Western European countries have not yet been counted.

"The results are not final and I don't see how Kurti will form the government alone but it will be very easy for him to govern with a small coalition," said Ismet Kryeziu of the Kosovo Democratic Institute think tank.

Kryeziu said Kurti needs few votes from Albanian or minority parties to form the new cabinet.

The two main opposition parties, the Democratic Party and the Democratic League, were at 21% and at 13.6%, respectively.

POLITICAL CRISIS AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE

Another failure to form a government and reopen parliament would prolong the crisis at a critical time. Lawmakers must elect a new president in April and ratify 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in loan agreements from the European Union and World Bank that expire in the coming months.

The Balkan country's opposition parties have refused to govern with Kurti, criticising his handling of ties with Western allies and his approach to Kosovo's ethnically divided north, where a Serb minority lives. Kurti blames the opposition for the impasse.

In a bid to woo voters, Kurti has pledged an additional month of salary per year for public sector workers, 1 billion euros per year in capital investment and a new prosecution unit to fight organised crime. Opposition parties have also focused on improving living standards - a leading concern for voters.

Turnout was 45%, according to the results.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with US backing, including a 1999 NATO bombing campaign against Serbian forces trying to crush an uprising by the 90% ethnic Albanian majority.

Despite international support, the country of 1.6 million has struggled with poverty, instability and organised crime. Kurti's tenure, which began in 2021, was the first time a Pristina government completed a full term.

Tensions with Serbia flared in 2023, prompting the EU to impose sanctions on Kosovo. The bloc said this month it would lift them after ethnic Serb mayors were elected in northern municipalities, but the measures likely cost Kosovo hundreds of millions of euros.