Kurti's victory did not bring an end to the crisis

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has called on other parties to cooperate to end an 18-month political stalemate, after his Self-Determination party won the most votes in Sunday's parliamentary elections but failed to secure enough votes to form a government on its own.

According to official results reported by Reuters, Self-Determination had 43 percent of the vote after 99,4 percent of ballots were counted in Sunday's election, the third in less than 18 months.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo won 21 percent and the Democratic League of Kosovo 18 percent of the vote in the elections called after the deeply divided Kosovo parliament failed to elect a speaker of the assembly, and subsequently a new president.

Even with 100.000 votes from the Kosovo diaspora yet to be counted, Self-Determination will not be able to secure the absolute majority needed to form a government on its own.

Reuters writes that it is on track to fall below the 51 percent of the vote it won in the December elections, after which it failed to reach an agreement with the opposition on a new president.

"In the coming weeks, we will communicate, meet with the opposition and cooperate with all political entities," Kurti told supporters late on Sunday.

In a post on the X network, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos congratulated Kurti on the result and said: "For Kosovo to progress on its path towards the EU, political forces must now come together and find compromises to build institutional stability."

Kurti's supporters celebrated his victory until the early hours of Monday morning in Pristina, even though he is on track to win a smaller share of the vote than in December.

"In the next four years, Albin Kurti will lead Kosovo. I pray that in 10 years he will lead Europe," said Ćefsere Rečica, who lives in Germany but came to Kosovo to vote.

Turnout was less than 37 percent, down from 45 percent in December, the election commission said.

Kurti's party first came to power in 2021 with a more nationalist agenda focused on social policy. Like all major parties in Kosovo, it is pro-Western. It opposes further concessions to Serbia, with which relations remain strained almost two decades after Kosovo declared independence.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the end of the crisis,” said political analyst Artan Muhaxhiri. “So far, we haven’t seen any signs that there will be any major changes.”

"One option is for Kurti to continue with a government that has a narrow majority, which would create many problems for it in working on the big projects that await Kosovo. The other option is for Kurti to have to make big compromises," Muhaxhiri said.

Commissioner Marta Kos also announced that she expects to visit Kosovo in the near future to advance work on the European integration process and the implementation of the Economic Growth Plan, Beta reports.

"I look forward to returning to Kosovo as soon as possible to intensify work on Kosovo's European integration and continue activities related to financing under the Economic Growth Plan," Kos wrote.

The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kalas, assessed that the democratic and inclusive elections created an opportunity to "end the political blockade that has lasted for more than a year."

In a post on Iks, Kalas called on political leaders to act responsibly and constructively to ensure the formation of new institutions as soon as possible.

"With its democratic and inclusive elections, Kosovo has paved the way for leaving behind more than a year of political gridlock. Political leaders now need to engage constructively to ensure the formation of a government as soon as possible," Kalas wrote.

Kalas also stressed the importance of continuing the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, describing it as a key element for Kosovo's European future.

"Progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as the normalization of relations with Serbia, remain essential for Kosovo's progress on its path towards European integration," the EU High Representative stated.