Kosovo holds snap elections on Sunday after months of deadlock left the country without a government. Caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti is the clear frontrunner, campaigning on a reformist and anti‑corruption platform. His main challengers are Bedri Hamza, a former central bank governor leading a revitalised PDK with a pro‑market agenda, and Lumir Abdixhiku, who leads LDK and could be the coalition kingmaker. The result will influence Kosovo's domestic reforms and its fragile relations with Serbia.
Kosovo Snap Vote: Kurti Eyes Fourth Term as Hamza and Abdixhiku Close Ranks
Serial winner: Kosovo's acting premier Albin Kurti (Armend NIMANI)(Armend NIMANI/AFP/AFP)
Kosovo heads to snap parliamentary elections on Sunday after months of political deadlock and failed coalition talks. The repeat vote is the only solution its polarized parties agreed on to break a stalemate that left the country without a functioning government.
Main Contenders
Albin Kurti — Eyeing a Fourth Win
Caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti, 50, is widely regarded as the frontrunner despite a year of political paralysis during which he was unable to form a coalition. Kurti has run an intensive two-week campaign, crisscrossing the country to mobilise support. A longtime figure in Kosovo's independence movement, he led Vetevendosje (VV), a party that blends left‑wing reformism with strong nationalist sentiment, to a decisive victory in the 2021 snap election and later became the first prime minister to complete a full term since Kosovo declared independence in 2008.
Kurti's appeal rests on a reformist, anti‑corruption platform that continues to resonate with many voters. If re‑elected, he will face significant international pressure — notably from the EU and the United States — to restart and advance dialogue with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
Bedri Hamza — The Challenger
Bedri Hamza, 62, a former central bank governor and the newly elected leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), is seen as Kurti's strongest challenger. PDK grew out of the wartime guerrilla movement and once dominated Kosovo politics; under Hamza it is positioning itself as a pragmatic, pro‑market alternative emphasising economic growth, private‑sector development and social protection.
Hamza's résumé includes terms as finance minister, central bank governor and three terms in parliament. As mayor of the Albanian‑majority south of Mitrovica, he is credited with implementing multi‑ethnic initiatives with the Serb‑majority north, including projects to regulate the Ibar River — experience he says could help build trust with Kosovo's Serb minority. After becoming PDK leader, Hamza travelled to Washington to court U.S. support and declared the party "ready for victory."
Lumir Abdixhiku — The Young Kingmaker
Lumir Abdixhiku, 42, leads the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the country's oldest political party. An economist by training and a former infrastructure minister, Abdixhiku made his name as a columnist and reformer. He took over LDK in 2021 after a heavy electoral setback and has since refreshed the party with younger figures.
Now the third‑largest party in the assembly, LDK is well positioned to act as kingmaker after the vote: both VV and right‑of‑centre forces are likely to court its support to form a governing coalition. Abdixhiku has pledged to deliver "a dignified and European government" if given the mandate.
What’s at Stake
The outcome will shape Kosovo's domestic reform agenda — especially anti‑corruption efforts and economic policy — and determine how quickly Belgrade and Pristina resume fragile normalisation talks. Foreign partners, particularly the EU and the U.S., will be watching closely for a government that can negotiate and implement agreements that stabilise the Western Balkans.
Snapshot: Voters will be choosing between Kurti's reformist nationalism, Hamza's pro‑market pragmatism, and Abdixhiku's centrist, pro‑European positioning — with coalition math likely decisive.
