Tag Archives: kosovo elections

Today, Kosovo returns to the polls in local elections that carry outsized symbolic weight, especially in the capital Pristina. Across 38 municipalities, voters will elect mayors and municipal assemblies – a ritual of grassroots democracy that also doubles as a referendum on national parties and their grip on power. 

Kosovo gained independence after decades of tension under Serbia, a brutal war in 1998 – 1999 , a decade of UN administration and finally a unilateral Declaration of Independence in 2008 – which whilst wildly recognised by most Western States including  UK, France, Germany, USA and most EU countries – still has Serbia, backed  by Russia, China and some EU countries( Spain, Greece, Slovakia, Romania and Cyprus) refusing to recognise Kosovo as an independent country. 

When I visited Pristina in December  year I found a delightful little town –  somewhat surprised to have been designated a  capital of its country –   with lots  of cafes and restaurants – its architecture a mixture between stark brutalist communist era buildings  to reminders  of its. Ottoman  past, with its people preparing to celebrate Christmas in a predominantly Albanian Muslim country.  

Once Kosovo’s dominant political force, the Lib Dems sister party, PDK,  is hoping in this weekend’s elections to reclaim relevance and authority – particularly in Pristina where the mayoralty has eluded it for years.  PDK traces its origins to the political wing of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and indeed during my stay,  I enjoyed a fascinating lunch with a group of   freedom fighters listening to their stories of the War from the late 1990s. In Parliamentary elections in February, PDK placed second with about 22% of the vote – far behind Prime Minister Albion Kurti’s VV Party, but ahead of the traditional centrist LDK party.  However, seven months later, a parliamentary majority has still to be formed.  After 56 attempts, parties in the Kosovo Assembly finally managed to agree on a Speaker and this  Friday, 2 days before the local elections, the Assembly was finally constituted.