Kosovo's ruling party fails to form government

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ruling Vetevendosje party failed to secure enough parliamentary votes on Wednesday to form a government, pushing the country toward a snap election.

Vetevendosje came first in an inconclusive election in February but has failed to form a government so far, and opposition parties have also not taken the reins, saying they would rather go to the polls than form a government.

Months of political deadlock in the small Balkan country have contributed to a lack of reforms, the stalling of infrastructure projects and the freezing of some European Union and World Bank funding, and have also hindered Kosovo's aspirations of EU membership.

Glauk Konjufca, Kurti's ally and aide, won 56 votes in the 120-seat parliament in Wednesday's vote, which was called to give Vetevendosje a second chance to form a government. Kurti handpicked Konjufca after failing himself to win a mandate in a parliamentary vote in October.

According to the constitution, President Vjosa Osmani will now set an election date in the coming days.

Kurti, a leftist and Albanian nationalist, came to power in 2021 when a coalition run by Vetevendosje received more than 50% of votes and secured a seven-seat majority in parliament.

Opposition parties have refused to govern with Kurti, criticising his handling of Kosovo's relations with its Western allies and his actions in Kosovo's ethnically divided north, where a Serb minority lives.