Kosovo's ruling party set to win vote after year-long political impasse

A child helps to cast a ballot at a polling station during a snap parliamentary election, nearly a year after a political deadlock that prevented the formation of a new government, in Pristina, Kosovo, Dec 28, 2025. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj

Nationalist Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s party looked set to win Kosovo’s election on Sunday, but it was unclear whether it had enough seats to break a year-long political deadlock that has paralysed parliament and delayed key international funding.

The vote is the second this year in Kosovo after Kurti's Vetevendosje party fell short of a majority in February. Months of failed coalition talks prompted President Vjosa Osmani to dissolve parliament in November and call an early election.

Kurti's party was set to come first, winning 45.7 percent of Sunday's vote, an exit poll on Dukagjini television showed shortly after polls closed at 7pm (1800 GMT). But it appeared unlikely that the party would secure the 61 seats in the 120-seat assembly that it needs to govern on its own.

The two main opposition parties, the Democratic Party and the Democratic League, were seen getting 22 percent and 15.6 percent of the vote respectively, according to the poll.

“The will of the citizens is now in the ballot boxes. Preserving this will is essential for the legitimacy and credibility of the electoral process," Kurti said on a video message after exit polls were published.

Another failure to form a government and reopen parliament would prolong the crisis at a critical time. Lawmakers must elect a new president in April and ratify 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in loan agreements from the European Union and World Bank that expire in the coming months.

The Balkan country's opposition parties have refused to govern with Kurti, criticising his handling of ties with Western allies and his approach to Kosovo's ethnically divided north, where a Serb minority lives. Kurti blames the opposition for the impasse.

In a bid to woo voters, Kurti has pledged an additional month of salary per year for public sector workers, 1 billion euros per year in capital investment and a new prosecution unit to fight organised crime. Opposition parties have also focused on improving living standards - a leading concern for voters.

"We want the next government to create conditions for the youth to stay here and not leave," one voter, 58-year-old Rexhep Karakashi, told Reuters in the capital, Pristina.

Opinion polls were not published in Kosovo, but some seen by Reuters before the vote had favoured Kurti. Some voters said they did not expect the vote to bring significant change.

"There wouldn't be great joy if Kurti wins, nor would there be if the opposition wins. This country needs drastic changes, and I don't see that change coming," said Edi Krasiqi, a doctor.

KURTI URGED PEOPLE TO VOTE

After casting his ballot at a polling station in Pristina, Kurti urged people to vote, saying higher turnout would bolster the parliament's legitimacy.

"Once the election result is known, we will do everything we know and can to constitute the parliament as soon as possible and to proceed with a new government," he said.

Turnout was 44.3 percent, according to early results.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with US backing, including a 1999 NATO bombing campaign against Serbian forces trying to crush an uprising by the 90% ethnic Albanian majority.

Despite international support, the country of 1.6 million has struggled with poverty, instability and organised crime. Kurti's tenure, which began in 2021, was the first time a Pristina government completed a full term.

Tensions with Serbia flared in 2023, prompting the EU to impose sanctions on Kosovo. The bloc said this month it would lift them after ethnic Serb mayors were elected in northern municipalities, but the measures likely cost Kosovo hundreds of millions of euros.