Court Ruling May Deepen Divisions in Kosovo

As the results of Central Election Commission showed, the once dominant Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, came third, winning just over 21 per cent of the votes. The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, won over 11 per cent. Aside from the war-wing parties, the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, the party of the late Dr Ibrahim Rugova, who led the non-violent resistance against Serbia in the 1990s, came second with 24.5 per cent the vote.

The novel aspect of this election was the victory of Vetevendosje, the Self-Determination Movement, VV, which came first with 26.2 per cent of the votes.

The message was clear: many people wanted a shift from the way the government had been run over the last 20 years. Besides a high unemployment rate, a stagnant economy and a statehood unrecognised by Serbia and its allies, politics in Kosovo had become synonymous with corruption, clientelism and "state capture".

The parties culpable for this dire situation are widely considered to be those that have held power to date. Together with the "war-wing" parties, the LDK also shared responsibility for this legacy of bad governance; it was part of most governments over the last two decades.

The best time for a vote of no confidence?

President of the Republic of Kosovo Hashim Thaci. Photo: EPA-EFE/VALDRIN XHEMAJ

Despite their eventual agreement over a coalition programme, the coexistence of Vetevendosje and the LDK proved short-lived.

The spark that instigated the government's fall was Prime Minister Albin Kurti's sudden sacking of the LDK Interior Minister in a dispute over the handling of the pandemic.

In a politically charged debate about whether Kosovo needed to declare a state of emergency to fight COVID-19,...