Calls for Abdixhiku’s removal from the LDK, Bytyçi: Osmani did not bring the expected turnaround in the June 7 elections

Following the election results, voices calling for accountability from the leadership have grown within the Democratic League of Kosovo. After a meeting with branch sub-chairpersons, the presidency of the LDK branch in Lipjan called for the resignation of the party leader, describing this step as a standard of political responsibility and a necessary reflection on the message citizens delivered through their vote.

A similar demand also came from the LDK branch in Peja. After a presidency meeting and a review of the June election results, the branch announced that “by majority vote, the members of the presidency in Peja have requested deep political reflection and the assumption of responsibility by the party leadership.”

University professor Enver Bytyçi spoke to Bota Sot about this development.

According to him, the LDK entered the June 7 elections with high ambitions, especially after the involvement of Vjosa Osmani, but the result did not meet expectations. He assesses that the party once again remained behind the PDK and that the growth it achieved was small, which in his view cannot be presented as a political success.

The June 7 elections were a test for all political parties in Kosovo, including Vetëvendosje, the PDK and the AAK. But the Democratic League perhaps created extreme expectations, while recording very little growth, remaining in third place yet again. The Democratic League’s race was not to reach first place on Kosovo’s political scene. It was to secure second place, and that result would have certified it as a successful party. But these expectations were not fulfilled.

It is natural for the membership of the Democratic League to experience another disappointment after the weak results of February 9 and December 28, 2025. Much more was expected on June 7, because it was thought that former president Osmani’s move into the ranks of the Democratic League would bring a spectacular leap, at least enabling the LDK to overtake the Democratic Party of Kosovo. That did not happen. The increase was negligible, with only 3 deputies. It is not known whether these three deputies are the product of Ms. Osmani’s image or Abdixhiku’s leadership. However, anyone may interpret it in their own way. Even if it is the result of the former president’s profile, it still does not say anything particularly interesting, he said.

Bytyçi further said that during the latest campaign, the LDK presented itself with a dual leadership, with Vjosa Osmani alongside Lumir Abdixhiku. According to him, the two appeared together before the electorate, delivered the same messages and presented themselves as a unified team, but failed to persuade voters or produce a notable result.

The professor stresses that it is precisely after this result that demands for analysis and accountability within the party have grown. At the center of the criticism, according to him, is Abdixhiku, while he suggests that Osmani also bears her share of responsibility for the poor electoral performance.

In the last election campaign, the Democratic League had a duo in its leadership, in addition to the chairman, also the former president. Vjosa and Lumiri were seen everywhere together, hand in hand. They always spoke one after the other at every electoral activity. They delivered the same messages and pledged to serve Kosovo and its citizens. But their promises and commitments did not resonate, did not create credibility with the electorate. For this reason, they failed to achieve a clear and meaningful victory. For this reason, the LDK branch in Peja and the one in Lipjan have called for analysis and responsibility, which I believe also translates into the resignation of the leadership. But who should resign? Naturally, chairman Lumir Abdixhiku. He is in the most difficult position, since his resignation is being requested at least after two electoral campaigns.

After the failure in the December 28, 2026 elections, he evaded responsibility by being re-elected as LDK chairman, thus receiving the confidence vote of its Assembly. He did not offer an irrevocable resignation, as almost all leaders of Albanian political parties and others in our region do. Now this is the second time he finds himself in the same situation. Will LDK members tolerate him in this case as well? I do not believe so. When his friends in Peja think Abdixhiku should be held accountable, that means the dissatisfaction toward him is evident. Meanwhile, Vjosa is not mentioned. But it is clear that there is also major criticism and serious reservations toward her. She is just as responsible as Lumiri for the electoral failure of June 7, he explained.

According to Bytyçi, Abdixhiku is now facing a double burden: not only the weak result, but also the way he brought Vjosa Osmani close to himself, in a move that, he says, was opposed by many LDK members.

What makes responsibility for this failure interesting this time is linked to the fact that the LDK chairman was put to the test by his alliance with former president Osmani, which was contested by many LDK members because she was held responsible for previous weak electoral results. So this time chairman Abdixhiku will face two responsibilities, for the failure and for the authoritative manner in which he brought Ms. Osmani to his side. This makes the criticism of the leadership more interesting this time. We will see how the discussions develop, but I do not see any sustainable alibi that could be used for this weak election result, the professor said.

In the end, he described the political situation as chaotic and said this was being exploited by certain actors. According to him, this situation also involves Përparim Rama, while he claims that the PDK aims to prevent the creation of new institutions and the election of the president, out of fear that the LDK may enter into a coalition with Vetëvendosje. Bytyçi adds that a political compromise could serve as a way out to avoid new elections.

The situation is chaotic, and elements such as Përparim Rama are trying to exploit this chaotic situation in order to block the building of the new state institutions, namely the election of the president of the Republic. It is the hand of the Democratic Party of Kosovo in this chaotic mess. The PDK fears that the LDK will form a coalition with Vetëvendosje and, as a result, wants Abdixhiku removed and replaced by the godfather of the governing coalition in Prishtina, Përparim Rama. Let us see how it goes. But all signs point toward a boycott. In this case I have one piece of advice for Albin Kurti: choose a candidate from the opposition, without the permission of the party leaders, on the condition that this candidate also guarantees 18 other opposition votes for the election of the country’s president. Whoever that may be. Ramush Haradinaj or Arsim Bajrami, it does not matter. The country must not once again go to new elections, Professor Bytyçi concluded for Bota Sot.