Kosovo’s parliament failed to elect a new government in a dramatic last-ditch vote on Wednesday, triggering a snap election as the political crisis deepens. Glauk Konjufca, the second prime minister-designate from Vetëvendosje (LVV), won only 56 votes in the 120-member assembly — short of the 61-seat majority required. The result delivers a blow to acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti and LVV, which won the most votes in February but could not assemble a ruling coalition.
The crisis also stalls Kosovo’s budgeting process. Parliament did not approve a budget for next year, raising fears for the economy of about 2 million people as investors weigh political risk and policy continuity. A vote on the Brussels Growth Plan likewise faltered as opposition lawmakers largely stayed away from the session.
President Vjosa Osmani now must dissolve parliament and call an early election within 40 days, a move that could redraw Kosovo’s fragile political arithmetic and its path toward European Union candidacy. Serbia’s refusal to recognize Kosovo’s independence and the broader Balkan dynamic complicate EU hopes, while Washington, London and most EU capitals back Kosovo’s status.