Kosovo is set for another snap election after parliament failed to elect a new president on Tuesday, pitching Europe’s youngest nation back into the thick of a political crisis.
Parliament had until midnight to choose a head of state following the end of President Vjosa Osmani’s term in early April, but Prime Minister Albin Kurti was unable to bring opposition parties on board to vote for his candidate.
Under Kosovo’s constitution, two-thirds of the 120-seat parliament must be present for the vote to be valid, and failure to elect a president automatically triggers snap parliamentary elections.
Kosovo’s parliament convened three times in less than 24 hours in an attempt to elect a new president before the deadline, only for a lack of quorum to halt proceedings each time.
The main opposition parties the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) refused to back any of Kurti’s proposed candidates, demanding a consensual figure instead.
Last-minute attempts by Kurti’s Vetëvendosje party to put forward new names, including civil society activist Feride Rushiti and former MP Hatixhe Hoxha, failed to break the impasse.
The political crisis has lasted for over two years and has been accompanied by constitutional disputes and legal proceedings, blocking Kosovo’s path toward European Union membership. The upcoming vote would be the third in just over a year.
with parliament speaker and acting president Albulena Haxhiu declaring at midnight that “based on the Constitutional Court verdict, the parliament is considered dissolved,” and an election date expected to be announced shortly.
