Kosovo Elections: Education, Health, Environment and Rights

Kosovo's two biggest parties - the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, of parliament speaker Kadri Veseli and Isa Mustafa's Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, will run alone, as will Vetevendosje, or Self-Determination, led by Albin Kurti. If LDK wins, Kosovo will get its first female prime minister in Vjosa Osmani.

Setting aside their common promises to tackle corruption and strengthen the state, BIRN approached these five parties and alliances with questions regarding the measures they plan to take to improve the everyday lives of Kosovo's 1.8 million people. Only Vetevendosje responded. Here is a breakdown of where they stand on the more neglected issues of the day:

Albin Kurti candidate for prime minister and leader of the opposition party Self-determination (Vetevendosje) holds a speech during a pre electoral rally in Pristina, Kosovo, 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/VALDRIN XHEMAJ

EDUCATION:

The AAK-PSD alliance is promising a vetting process in all public universities to weed out professors suspected of plagiarism; it will offer free undergraduate education, free school meals and ensure each city has at least two kindergartens.

They plan to replace textbooks written in Albanian with those translated from other languages.

The NISMA-AKR-PD coalition is promising to revaluate and test teachers within two years of taking power. NISMA MP candidate Albulena Balaj-Halimaj told Kallxo.com that they would ensure 2-3 kindergartens per city. Critics point out that NISMA held the education portfolio in the outgoing government and, they say, did little with it.

Vetevendosje says it will improve conditions in educational institutions, modernise the curricula and introduce error-free textbooks. It is also promising a broad...