Whether 2026 will find it with a new autonomous government will depend on the final verdict of the ballot box. Albin Kurti’s party won Sunday’s (28/12) election by a wide margin, but it is still unclear whether it will be able to secure the sought-after 50% self-reliance to break the country out of a months-long political stalemate.
The “Self-Determination Movement” had also won the elections of last February, but due to a lack of a majority in Parliament, it ultimately failed to form a coalition government.
According to tonight’s expert estimates republished by Reuters, it is considered difficult for Kurti to be able to form a government without allies. Still, “it will be very easy for him to govern with a small coalition,” said an Institute analyst. It was reported that Kurti needs few votes from Albanian or minority parties to form a government.
The two main opposition parties, the Democratic Party and the Democratic League remained quite low, at 20% and 14%.
“The will of the citizens is now at the polls. Maintaining this will is essential for the legitimacy and credibility of the electoral process,” Kurti said in a video message after the exit polls were released.
In a bid to woo voters, Kurti had pledged to pay civil servants an extra salary a year, a billion euros a year in investment and the establishment of a new prosecution unit to fight organized crime.
Another failed attempt to form a government would escalate the crisis at a very critical moment. The country’s Parliament must elect a new president next April and ratify 1 billion euro loan agreements from the European Union and the World Bank, which expire in the coming months.
Opposition parties had rejected any version of cooperation with Kurti, criticizing his handling of relations with Western allies and his approach to Kosovo’s divided north, home to a Serb minority.
