Flash News

Extradited from Spain, Lulzim Berisha arrives in Rinas

Tirana/ 'Barber's house' found in Laknas, OSHEE employee arrested

Will the war end? Putin raises hopes with a complete ceasefire

The former leader of the Durrës gang, Lulzim Berisha, is expected to be extradited to Tirana tonight.

War in Ukraine/ Trump-Putin phone call ends, lasted about 90 minutes

Kosova

Elections in Kosovo, DW analysis: There was great democratic pluralism even among Serbs

Politiko 2025-02-10 09:07:45

Elections in Kosovo, DW analysis: There was great democratic pluralism even

The voting process for the regular parliamentary elections in Kosovo has concluded, following a four-year mandate of the government led by the Vetëvendosje Movement led by Albin Kurti. According to the CEC, the elections were held in a calm atmosphere, no incidents were recorded, while the percentage of participation in the elections was lower than in the last elections of 2021, where the participation was 48%. In these elections, over two million citizens were eligible to vote, while around 790 thousand citizens voted, which translated into a percentage was just over 40%. There are no preliminary results of the elections yet, but, according to the CEC, they are in the process of being counted and can be expected soon.

Elections also in the northern part of Kosovo

Over 940 polling stations were open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., while over 100 European Union envoys and 18 from the Council of Europe joined other domestic and international observers. Elections were also held in the Serb-majority northern part of Kosovo, where according to the CEC, voter turnout was slightly higher than in other areas of Kosovo. Ten of the 120 seats in Kosovo's parliament are reserved for parties from the Serb community, another ten for other minority communities.

Political observers said that these elections showed greater democratic pluralism, even among Kosovo Serbs. Voters in the February 9 elections elect a new parliamentary composition, which then elects the new government of Kosovo. There were 28 political entities and one independent candidate in the election race. Four candidates from the four largest parties competed for the post of prime minister. Albin Kurti from the Vetëvendosje Movement, Bedri Hamza from the PDK, Lumir Abdixhiku from the LDK and Ramush Haradinaj from the AAK-Nisma coalition and other partners. The February 9 elections in Kosovo were the ninth in a row since the end of the war. These elections were a test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti, whose party won a landslide victory over his political rivals in the 2021 elections. This is the first time since Kosovo declared independence in 2008 that the Kosovo parliament has completed its full four-year mandate./DW

Latest news