Kosovo goes to elections on Sunday - Country faces 3 possible scenarios, EU calls for agreement
Kosovo will hold snap parliamentary elections on Sunday, its third in 18 months, after political parties failed to reach a compromise on a new president. Europe's newest country aspires to join the European Union but has been without a functioning government for much of last year after political parties failed to elect a new speaker of parliament and then a new president.
No public opinion polls have been conducted, but analysts predict a resounding victory for Prime Minister Albin Kurti's Vetëvendosje party. However, they say Kurti will need to reach a compromise with opposition parties to secure the two-thirds majority needed to elect a new president.
Kurti's party won 51.1% of the vote in the last elections on December 28, but could not reach an agreement with other parties on a candidate for the largely ceremonial presidency, prompting the dissolution of parliament in April and early elections.
Vetevendosje would need to win more than 60% of the vote to secure the election of its preferred candidates for speaker of parliament and president, which is an almost impossible scenario. Analysts say Kosovo faces three possible scenarios; the concentration of power in Vetevendosje, a forced compromise for the sake of the country, and a continued blockade. The European Union has urged politicians in Kosovo to create strong institutions that can implement the reforms needed to join the bloc. “The EU can support Kosovo, but it cannot do its homework,” said European Council President Antonio Costa during a visit to Pristina on Wednesday.
Kosovo's electoral commission has announced that more than 900 candidates from 17 parties and three coalition groups are running for 120 seats in parliament. About 2.1 million voters are registered, out of Kosovo's roughly 1.6 million inhabitants, due to the large diaspora, which is mainly located in Western Europe and tends to favor Kurti's party.
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