The German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, in an article titled "In Search of Stability", discusses the upcoming elections in Kosovo and analyzes the chances of the current Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his main challenger, Ljumir Abdixiku from the Democratic League of Kosovo. It recalls that Kurti and his Self-Determination 2021 party won a convincing victory, winning an absolute majority, but that this time he has stronger competition.
"His conservative opponent, Ljumir Abdixiku from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), also has good prospects of becoming the next prime minister. He promises Kosovo a new beginning: economic progress, political transparency, and the fight against widespread corruption – these are the main themes in the country of one and a half million inhabitants. Abdixiku aims for economic growth to reach five percent and wants to increase Kosovo's budget to five billion euros. At the same time, he advocates for closer ties with the European Union – Kosovo, like Serbia, is a Western Balkan partner of the European Union."
German Christian Democrats' sympathies towards Abdijiku
The text states that Germany is following the pre-election events in Kosovo with increasing attention, and quotes a statement by Christian Democratic MP Peter Bayer, who does not hide his sympathy for the conservative candidate Abdixiku: "He is a man with a vision who is at the same time realistic. He understands that structural reforms are urgently needed."
German political scientist Ulrich Schlie, professor of security and strategy research at the University of Bonn, said in a statement to the Berlin newspaper: "Given the political situation in Europe, the future development of Kosovo is decisive for the stability of the Western Balkans. In order to realize Kosovo's European perspective in the foreseeable future, politicians who, like Abdizhika, declare themselves for European values are needed."
At the end of the text, it is recalled that Germany was among the first countries to recognize Kosovo's independence in 2008, and that half a million people live in Germany who are connected to Kosovo by citizenship or origin, making it the largest Kosovo diaspora in the world.
Tensions with Serbia and Pristina's attitude towards the Serbian minority
The German Catholic News Agency, KNA, also reports on the pre-election atmosphere in Pristina: "The emigration of the brightest, a weakened economy, poverty - the problems that the next government in Kosovo must solve are multiple. However, one other topic overshadows all others in the pre-election campaign for the parliamentary elections."
The text explains that this is due to tension in relations with Serbia, as well as Pristina's attitude towards the Serbian minority, the forced closure of Serbian institutions, Belgrade's nationalist influence, as well as Brussels' dissatisfaction with the decisions of official Pristina.
"The forced closure of Serbian institutions is having an impact on the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, which is being mediated by Brussels. The European External Action Service said that the latest measures, 'in the midst of the election campaign', violate Pristina's obligations to the European Union as part of the normalization process. The European Union will lift sanctions against Kosovo when there is rapprochement with Serbia," it said.
It is not certain that Kurti will have a sufficient majority.
The most interesting part of the text, however, refers to the internal situation in Kosovo: "On the internal front, the parliamentary elections could bring a small change of eras. Namely, Prime Minister Kurti must fear the possibility of not being re-elected as prime minister. His Self-Determination 2021 party won a convincing victory, winning more than 50 percent of the vote and forming a government on its own. It is uncertain whether the former civic movement will succeed again. They could be directed to a coalition with one of the two old Kosovo parties, the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo or the Democratic Party of Kosovo. The alternative for Kurti would be to go into opposition."
The German agency concludes: "Whoever takes the lead in Pristina, it is clear that the challenges for the new government will be enormous. Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe. More than half of the population is under 30, a third is under 18. According to experts, there are not enough prospects for finding a job, the education system is outdated. Almost one in five Kosovars lives on less than five dollars a day. The country is economically dependent on remittances from the diaspora, which numbers about a million people. So it should come as no surprise that Prime Minister Kurti stopped by Zurich after the World Trade Forum in Davos to fight for the votes of thousands of (local) Kosovo Albanians."
Bonus video:
