1. What happened?
Kosovo lawmakers voted on Sunday to install a new government led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, following an early election held in June. The government won support from a slim majority of 62 of the assembly’s 120 lawmakers, while opposition members boycotted the session, accusing Kurti of violating post-election procedures.
2. Why does this matter?
The vote comes after more than 18 months of political impasse in Kosovo, spanning two early elections, during which the country’s leaders were unable to agree on forming a government or electing a president. The ongoing instability has left one of Europe’s youngest and poorest nations without a resolved governing structure for an extended period.
3. Who is involved?
Kurti leads the center-left Vetevendosje party, which won the most votes in the June election, though with a smaller margin than in the previous vote amid growing voter frustration. Opposition lawmakers, who boycotted Sunday’s session, are separately planning to challenge the process at Kosovo’s Constitutional Court.
4. What comes next?
Lawmakers still have not elected deputy speakers of the assembly, which opposition parties had insisted must happen before a government vote. Opposition parties intend to bring their procedural objections to the Constitutional Court, and if the crisis is not resolved, Kosovo could face yet another early election.
5. What is the background to this crisis?
The impasse began after a February 2025 election produced no clear governing majority, and a subsequent December 2025 election allowed Kurti to form a government but left lawmakers unable to agree on a president, a decision requiring a quorum of at least 80 of 120 lawmakers. Kosovo, a predominantly ethnic Albanian nation, declared independence from Serbia in 2008 following the 1998-99 war and subsequent NATO intervention, and while it is recognized by the U.S. and most EU countries, Serbia, Russia and China do not recognize its independence.
For more on this report, read “Kosovo gets new government but political impasse persists” from The Associated Press, published on The Washington Times.
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