The warnings of the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, for new elections in the spring, in the event of a blockage of the presidential election, are being interpreted by political analysts as a pressure strategy against the opposition and not as a real goal to take the country to elections again.
Donika Emini from the European Advisory Group for Balkan Policies, in a statement to Telegrafi, says that Kurti's statements should be interpreted in light of parliamentary balances and current political interests.
"Kurti's warnings about another election in the spring, in case the presidential election is blocked, should be interpreted more as a political strategy and a form of pressure on the opposition, than as a real goal to take the country to elections again," says Emini.
She emphasizes that Kurti is aware of the numerical limitations in the Assembly.
"He knows that, even though he has a stable majority to form a government, he cannot guarantee the quorum of 80 deputies to elect the president without the cooperation of the opposition," she emphasizes.
According to Emini, the way Kurti has addressed this issue clearly shows the pragmatic nature of his approach.
"In his victory speech, Kurti addressed this issue with prudence, not calling for general political cooperation, but linking any coordination only to cases where a quorum and the opposition vote are necessary. This was not a call for cooperation, but a numerical and pragmatic approach," Emini assesses.
She recalls that such warnings are not new and have been used before as a political tool.
"Kurti has previously mentioned elections in December or in the spring, sending the message to the opposition that not voting for the president is not an effective strategy," she says.
Emini also brings up the situation after the February 2025 elections as an example.
"A similar situation was seen during the blockade following the February 2025 elections, which ultimately cost the opposition more than the government. Kurti's warning signals that such a scenario could be repeated," she emphasizes.
According to her, the regional context also shows that frequent elections are often used as an instrument to weaken the opposition.
"In the region, leaders with strong political positions have often organized consecutive elections to weaken the opposition. In this context, Kurti's warning is not accidental," Emini told Telegrafi.
She adds that the opposition is currently in a disadvantageous position.
"PDK is still in a transition phase with new leadership, while LDK is experiencing internal changes and has little time for political recalibration. New elections at this time would be much more harmful to the opposition than to the government," she assesses.
Emini warns that continuing the institutional deadlock would have political costs.
“Continuing to block the presidential election would anger the electorate, and Kurti knows that public discontent would be channeled primarily against the opposition,” she says.
She also mentions signals of institutional coordination between Kurti and President Osmani.
"There are signals of a pragmatic rapprochement between Kurti and President Osmani. Both have shown that, despite political differences, they have a common interest in the institutional functioning of Kosovo," says Emini, adding that this makes it further difficult to justify a new blockade by the opposition.
Finally, Emini emphasizes that Kurti's warning is politically calculated.
“More than a warning of frequent elections, this is a calculated political move. Kurti knows that frequent elections could create resentment towards him as well, but at this stage the opposition has much more to lose. Consequently, blocking the presidential election process would not be an effective strategy and is likely to fail and create unnecessary political crises,” she concludes.
Meanwhile, political expert Dritëro Arifi, in a statement to Telegrafi, also sees Kurti's warning as a clear political message, built on several goals.
"With this warning, Kurti is packaging the idea of a president who must be 100 percent under his command, regardless of who the candidate is," says Arifi.
According to him, the message to the opposition is direct.
"Whoever Kurti proposes for president, the opposition must stay in the hall and ensure a quorum, otherwise we will go to elections, where the victory could be even greater for Vetëvendosje," Arifi said.
He does not rule out the possibility that extraordinary elections could be used as an instrument to evade international obligations.
"As a smaller probability, the elections may be intentional to evade the obligations of international agreements, postponing the process until September," Arifi emphasizes, adding that this depends on internal and external political circumstances.
Both analysts assess that the warnings about elections are not accidental, but part of a political calculation, where the opposition currently has more to lose than the government.
Otherwise, the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has stated that there is not only a theoretical, but also a practical possibility that Kosovo will go to elections again, if they fail to elect a new president.
"If we fail to elect the president, or re-elect the president, and the deadline for this is March 4, if we do not have the budget for 2026 passed in advance, we cannot even hold new elections. Of course, there is the possibility, not only theoretical, but also practical, that we will go to the elections again, if we fail to re-elect the president. But in such a situation, we must be ready, precisely by having the budget voted. That is why I am saying, it is not healthy to talk about the fourth step without properly addressing and passing these first three," Kurti said. /Telegraph/
