site.btaKosovo's Parliamentary Elections: Key Priorities and Overlooked Issues

The parliamentary elections in Kosovo, which will be held on February 9, 2025, play an important role in the political development of the country. These will be the first regular parliamentary elections since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The last parliamentary elections in the country were held on February 14, 2021.

The main competition in this Sunday's election will be between the four largest political forces. These are the ruling left-wing nationalist Self-Determination Movement (LVV) of Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the right-centrist Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) of Memli Krasniqi, the right-centrist Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) of Lumir Abdixhiku, and the coalition around the right-wing Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) of former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, AAK – INITIATIVE/NISMA.

What are the main priorities the parties focus on, and which topics were left unaddressed during the election campaign which ends on Friday?

ECONOMY

According to information from the Albanian editorial team of Radio Free Europe, the promises of political parties primarily relate to the economic sector. Some of them mention supporting local producers and focusing on their complaints, including the high value-added tax, the shadow economy, high interest rates on loans, lack of infrastructure, and unstable electricity supply, among others. Each year, Kosovo imports goods worth an average of EUR 5 billion, while exporting less than EUR 1 billion, the media notes.

ENERGY

The country faces electricity problems. Electricity is mainly produced by two coal-fired power plants near the capital, Pristina. Just recently, during the holidays surrounding New Year’s Eve, there was again talk of electricity issues, and some people celebrated by candlelight due to the lack of electricity, Radio Free Europe recalled. However, the parties promised that days without power would be a thing of the past. Their promises also include producing electricity through gas or even building a new coal-fired power plant.

DIALOGUE WITH SERBIA

While economy and energy were chewed over during the election campaing, the four prime ministerial candidates of Kosovo – Albin Kurti (LVV), Bedri Hamza (PDK), Lumir Abdixhiku (LDK), and Ramush Haradinaj (AAK – INITIATIVE/NISMA) – kept silent on significant and important issues such as the dialogue with Serbia, notes Radio Free Europe. They also did not speak about whether the Association/Community of Serb-Majority Municipalities should be established.

Serbia does not recognize the independence of its former province, Kosovo, declared in 2008, and Belgrade and Pristina are engaged in dialogue to normalize their relations through the mediation of the European Union. The international community insists that Kosovo establish the Community of Serb Municipalities, which stems from an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia from 2013, and which would include municipalities in Kosovo with a Serbian majority. Its creation is viewed by the international community as a "precondition" for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia within the framework of the EU-mediated dialogue.

The Community of Serb Municipalities is expected to provide a certain degree of self-government for the Serbian community in Kosovo. However, Kosovo's Constitutional Court ruled years ago that the creation of such an association is unconstitutional, as it does not include the other ethnic communities and could lead to the exercise of executive powers.

Members of the four main parties, except for the ruling Self-Determination Movement, have openly stated that the Community should be created but only in accordance with Kosovo's constitution, Radio Free Europe reminds.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Despite the numbers increasing year by year, domestic violence was not mentioned during the election campaign, Radio Free Europe also reports. Data from the Kosovo police for 2024 show that the number of reported cases of domestic violence has risen compared to 2023.

EDUCATION

The election campaign pretty much lacked focus on education issues, despite the fact that the quality of education in Kosovo continues to be poor, the media further notes. In three PISA tests – an international programme for assessing students in reading, science, and mathematics – conducted in 2015, 2018, and 2022, Kosovo ranked near the bottom in terms of results.

FOREIGN POLICY AND RELATIONS WITH THE COUNTRY'S ALLIES

The Democratic Party of Kosovo states in its 62-page programme that relations with the U.S. must be "restored", according to the local news portal Sbunker.

Over the past four years, under the second Kurti government, relations with the U.S. have deteriorated, leading to the country's isolation and a lack of progress in integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.

Both the U.S. and the EU have criticized several actions taken by the Kosovo government regarding Northern Kosovo, which is predominantly populated by ethnic Serbs. What the Kosovo authorities refer to as the "extension of sovereignty" and the rule of law across the country has often been described by the EU and the U.S. as "unilateral and uncoordinated actions".

The second Kurti government includes the Self-Determination Movement and its partners GUXO (Dare in Albanian) and Alternativa.

For the parliamentary elections, Self-Determination, GUXO, and Alternativa are running together without signing an official coalition agreement due to missed deadlines for doing so, Koha Ditore reported. Nevertheless, they will participate in the election with a joint candidate list under the banner of the Self-Determination Movement.