Kosovo votes again in snap election as frustration grows over political gridlock

Kosovans began voting on Sunday in another snap election, the country’s third in just over a year, as mounting frustration over political deadlock tests the patience of voters in Europe’s youngest state.

Issued on: 07/06/2026 - 12:04

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Polling stations opened at 7:00 am local time and are due to close 12 hours later, with exit polls expected soon afterwards. Preliminary results are expected late on Sunday.

The vote follows the failure of Kosovo’s polarised parliament to elect a president in April, a breakdown that deepened a political crisis that has gripped the country since inconclusive parliamentary elections in February 2025.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Vetevendosje party topped the polls in February last year but fell short of the majority needed to form a government, triggering months of bitter division among MPs and eventually forcing a snap election in December.

Vetevendosje – which blends a leftist agenda with strong nationalism – again came first and joined ethnic minority MPs to form a government. But an opposition boycott of the vote to replace the outgoing president ultimately brought down parliament.

Some voters fear Sunday’s ballot will simply reproduce the same political arithmetic.

“I don’t think I will vote. It’s frustrating to see that the election will yield the same result,” computer programmer Miranda Fazliu told AFP ahead of the election.

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A system under strain

Analysts warn that lawmakers’ failure to work across political divides means the latest election may not be enough to resolve the crisis.

Political and economic researcher Ardi Uka said Kosovo had entered a cycle of repeated elections, similar to patterns seen in other countries. “The crisis will continue,” Uka said.

Safet Gerxhaliu, a university lecturer, said the problem had become “systemic” and was now “continuously sending people back to the polls”.

“It is definitely the biggest crisis in Kosovo since the declaration of independence,” he said, referring to the country’s 2008 split from Serbia.

“The institutions are on the verge of collapse.”

The political uncertainty comes as rising living costs weigh heavily on households in one of Europe’s poorest countries.

Despite the fatigue, many voters still hope that the latest ballot can push political leaders towards compromise and restore a sense of direction after months of paralysis.

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Costly repeat elections

Sunday’s vote will cost more than €10 million, excluding campaign spending by political parties.

The total cost of elections has risen sharply when two national and two local elections held in 2025 are included, adding to public irritation over repeated trips to the ballot box.

“Something constructive could have been achieved without spending all that money on something that will ultimately bring the same result,” architect and sociologist Fjolle Caka said.

Local doctor Nexhmedin Osmani said the cost was particularly frustrating for a country where many young people continue to move abroad in search of work.

“That worries me. We will be left with only old people,” he said.

Kosovo’s leaders now face pressure not only to break the institutional deadlock, but also to respond to the everyday concerns of citizens who want stability, better prospects and a government able to get on with the job.

(With newswires)