Kurti continues consultations on institutions as agreement on president is sought

After the certification of the results of the June 7 elections, the focus of Kosovo politics has shifted to establishing new institutions. Among the first developments from political consultations, the Democratic Party of Kosovo has confirmed it will remain in opposition. This position was made public by PDK chairman Bedri Hamza after a meeting with the leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement and acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.

Although considerable time has passed since the election process ended, political parties have not yet reached an agreement that would allow the constitution of the Assembly and the formation of a new government.

As the party that came first in the elections, the Vetëvendosje Movement has opened the first round of talks with parliamentary parties, aiming to secure support for setting up the institutions. So far, these contacts have not produced concrete agreements, while differences among political sides remain pronounced.

Albin Kurti has announced that communication with other parties will continue in the coming days, indicating that negotiations have not yet reached a decisive moment. Meanwhile, the opposition has reaffirmed its positions on possible cooperation, presenting conditions and limits for any eventual deal.

In this situation, the main dilemma remains whether the talks will produce the necessary political compromise or whether Kosovo could face a prolonged institutional blockade.

According to assessments presented in the debate, the drama unfolding on Kosovo’s political stage aims to further weaken the LDK.

Qarri: Inter-party cooperation is not only a matter of political will, but also a responsibility to the electorate and a constitutional obligation to the state

Political analyst Gani Qarri spoke about the developments to “Bota sot,” assessing that the June 7 elections did not resolve the political stalemate.

According to Qarri, the parties must reach a consensus without delay on the creation of institutions and the election of the president. He stressed that the June 7 elections were the third in less than a year and a half, after the regular constitutional elections of February 9 and the snap elections of December 28, 2025.

The analyst said that even though Kosovo went through about 19–20 months of political deadlock and institutional blockades, the June 7 elections did not bring change to the institution-building process, except for determining which party would govern the country.

Qarri assessed that these elections also offered no solution for the issue of the president. He said that there is still no concrete agreement, despite the prime minister’s meetings with PDK and LDK representatives, adding that the parties’ games in Parliament should no longer be tolerated by Kosovo’s citizens. In his view, if the need arises, they should also be opposed through civic protests, so that staged and fictitious causes are no longer used as excuses for blockades and political delays.

He said that the consensus for electing the president has turned into an issue that worries citizens as well and has concentrated political and public attention in Kosovo. For this reason, Qarri called for the efforts of the ruling and opposition sides to be directed towards forming new institutions and electing the president, in order to restore the normal functioning of the state.

Further, the analyst argued that Vetëvendosje must continue talks, especially with the LDK, to secure an agreement on the president. He warned that the absence of an agreement could plunge the country into a political crisis again.

According to him, the ruling party won 47.13% of the votes, namely 53 seats in the new legislature. Qarri said that together with the non-Serb minorities, it has 61 guaranteed votes, enough to constitute the Assembly and form the Government, but not to elect a new president.

He added that it is claimed that under the “constitution,” for presidential voting in the 120-seat Assembly to be valid, the presence of 2/3 of deputies is required. According to Qarri, this fact caused the political crisis this year as well and led the country to the snap elections of June 7.

Qarri assessed that Vetëvendosje should enter a coalition with the LDK, not with Vjosa as president, but with her as Minister of Foreign Affairs or first Deputy Prime Minister, as a goodwill compromise on both sides.

The analyst said that Kurti, being aware that any delay harms the political process and sends a negative signal to Kosovo as a young state also in relation to the international community, must carry efforts for an agreement through to the end. According to him, negotiations with the opposition should continue in the days to come until a consensus is found for the election of the president.

He recalled that the failure to reach agreement among parties on a consensus president at the end of April this year resulted in the dissolution of the Assembly and the holding of the June 7 snap elections.

According to Qarri, the latest elections not only did not resolve the president issue but produced a roughly identical situation on the political scene. He warned that once again not electing a consensus president, even though it is a more ceremonial post, could lead Kosovo to yet another snap election, the fourth in just two years.

He stressed that such elections are not necessary and would not solve the president issue. According to him, Kosovo cannot be blocked and must not be forced to stand still or hold elections every three or four months, because the country and its citizens would bear the greatest consequences.

Qarri called on elected MPs and parties represented in Parliament to take their responsibilities seriously, as without a political agreement the country could again go to snap elections. He said that inter-party cooperation depends not only on political will but also constitutes a responsibility to the electorate and a constitutional obligation to the state.

According to the analyst, deputies who have received citizens’ trust must demonstrate responsibility, secure the necessary quorum in the Assembly, and make a personal contribution to electing the president. In this way, he said, the deadlock can be overcome and further damaging and unnecessary elections avoided.

Qarri concluded by saying that only in this way can the odyssey of unusual political blockades be closed and the unhindered work of institutions guaranteed. He criticized the blockades that, according to him, are staged by the current parties, which receive hefty salaries from the country’s poor taxpayers, saying these approaches have no real legal foundation and serve to delay the formation of institutions and obstruct the normal functioning of the Republic of Kosovo.

Tahiraj: Weakening the LDK would simultaneously weaken the main pillar of Euro-Atlantic orientation

On the same topic, diaspora activist Saim Tahiraj also spoke to “Bota sot.”

Tahiraj assessed that the political actions of the Vetëvendosje Movement, according to him, are not only related to the creation of institutions but also aim to politically weaken the LDK.

He expressed doubt that the current meetings and talks could be part of a strategy to damage the LDK’s position, even if an agreement for co-governance is reached.

According to Tahiraj, the political war of the left wing, inherited from the LPK and continued by its political successors—the LVV, PDK, and AAK—has never ceased. He said the objective remains weakening up to the destruction of the LDK, so that the direction of the Kosovo state ultimately remains in the hands of the left.

He referred to the meeting between LVV chairman Albin Kurti and PDK chairman Bedri Hamza, which was presented to the public as a meeting without result or agreement. However, Tahiraj said there is a possibility this was a tactical move to create space for new contacts and a potential coalition with the LDK.

If this thesis is correct, according to Tahiraj, every political action by Kurti would aim to politically weaken the LDK, compromise it before the electorate, and remove it from the scene as a decision-making factor. He assessed that forming institutions does not appear to be the main priority, while political gain at the expense of the opponent appears as the principal goal.

Tahiraj declared that he remains skeptical about a possible coalition between the LVV and the LDK. Even if such an agreement were reached, he warned it could be used as a tool for the political consumption of the LDK and its subsequent removal from the game.

In closing his statement, the activist called on the leaders and members of the LDK to act with prudence, unity, and care in decision-making. He said that the weakening of this party would affect not only its political weight but also Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic and state-building orientation.

According to Tahiraj, the LDK leadership must display wisdom, prudence, and determination, weighing every decision carefully. He said the consequences would not be limited to the party but would also affect the political orientation of the state of Kosovo.

He assessed that weakening the LDK would simultaneously mean weakening the main pillar of Euro-Atlantic orientation and the state-building philosophy this party has represented over the years.

Tahiraj said that the ongoing political attacks by leftist opponents, accompanied by the actions of persons many consider a “fifth column” within the LDK itself, could produce severe consequences. For this reason, he called for vigilance, unity, responsibility, and resilience from every LDK member, from the rank-and-file to the Central Presidency.

History, according to Tahiraj, has shown that the greatest challenges are overcome not with emotions but with wisdom, unity, and faith in the values upon which the LDK was built. He stressed that precisely these values must be preserved today as well.