On June 7, Kosovo will hold its third early election since February 2025. The vote is due to the failure to elect a new head of state and a long-term political deadlock in the parliament.
Early parliamentary elections will be held in Kosovo on June 7 – the third since February 2025. The Speaker of the Kosovo Parliament, Albulena Haxhiu, announced this date on Thursday after the parliament failed to elect a head of state by the April 28 deadline. TASR informs about it with reference to the AFP agency.
- On June 7, Kosovo will hold early parliamentary elections for the third time since February 2025.
- The mandate of President Vjosa Osmaniová ended on April 4 without the election of a successor.
- The opposition boycott blocked the election of the president due to the impasse of the Kosovo parliament.
- Prime Minister Albin Kurti failed to reach a compromise with the opposition and faces accusations of authoritarianism.
- The Constitution requires the election of the president no later than 30 days before the end of the mandate.
The mandate of the previous president, Vjosa Osmaniová, ended on April 4. Her powers were temporarily taken over by Haxhiu, because Osmani did not get enough support for a second term in the 120-member parliament and the deputies could not agree on her successor.
The dispute over the new president
The main obstacle to the election of a new head of state was the boycott of opposition parties, as a result of which the parliament did not have a quorum. A two-thirds majority of all deputies (80 out of 120) in the first two rounds is required for election. In the third round, a supermajority (61 votes) is sufficient, but the presence of at least 80 deputies is still required.
Despite the fact that Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s center-left Self-Determination (Vetëvendosje) party won both last year’s parliamentary elections, it did not have a majority in the legislature. Kurti could not find a compromise with the opposition in search of a common candidate. The opposition accuses Kurti of an authoritarian approach and efforts to concentrate power.
Constitution and early elections
At an extraordinary press conference, Haxhiu said that she decided on the date of early elections based on the constitution, the request of the electoral commission and ensuring the highest possible turnout. She added that representatives of the political parties also agreed on holding the elections on June 7 after consulting her.
On March 6, President Osmani dissolved the parliament by decree and called early elections after the deputies failed to elect her successor the day before. She justified her move with Article 86 of the Constitution, according to which the new head of state must be elected no later than 30 days before the end of her mandate. However, the Self-Determination party challenged the decree at the Constitutional Court, which ruled that the parliament can try to elect a president until April 28. After this date, it will be automatically dissolved and early elections must be held within 45 days.
The Parliament elects the President of Kosovo for a five-year term. His position is largely representative, but he is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and represents the country abroad.
