The February 9 parliamentary elections in Kosovo, what do young voters expect?

Edona Asllani welcomed the New Year in the dark and realized that Kosovo needs more than just promises. She has not yet decided which party she will vote for in the parliamentary elections, but she wants the next government to solve the problem of electricity supply once and for all.

"For hours on New Year's Eve, we had no electricity," says the 23-year-old from Ferizaj.

"I don't get involved in politics, but I will vote, because it is a civic obligation," she tells Radio Free Europe.

Edona and over two million citizens with the right to vote will be able to choose between 28 political entities and four candidates for prime minister in the February 9 elections: Albin Kurti of the Vetëvendosje Movement, currently in power; Bedri Hamza of the Democratic Party of Kosovo; Lumir Abdixhiku of the Democratic League of Kosovo and Ramush Haradinaj of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.

Their election campaign officially began on January 11. On its first day alone, Anisa Hajdini, who will be voting for the first time, says she has decided which party she will trust.

"I liked the ideas presented by the party I chose and I expect changes in the university education system," says the student of the Faculty of Law at the University of Pristina.

"I don't expect immediate reforms, because they need to happen gradually and be well thought out... But, for example, I don't like grading with tests, I would like it to be done orally," says Anisa.

Amelia Sefa, an Architecture student at the University of Pristina, will also vote for the first time on February 9. She has not yet decided who she will vote for, but, similarly, she is seeking greater support for students.

"There should be, for example, a supply of necessary materials for studies, but also a small financial amount for the personal needs of students," says Amelia.

Gjin Prelvukaj is still a student, but he wants to see changes in the employment conditions of young people. According to him, they are necessary to increase the participation of young people in the labor market. The unemployment rate among people aged 15-24 in Kosovo is 17.3 percent.

"Currently, when job vacancies are opened, three to five years of work experience are required. This automatically prevents young people from participating in the competition, because at 22 years old you cannot have that experience," says the Mechatronics Engineering student.

His colleague, Lis Shala, also wants more job opportunities for young people and, as he says, more dignified salaries. The average salary in Kosovo is currently 570 euros, but Lisi says that “the minimum should be up to 700 euros.”

"... because rent, food, electricity, product prices are very high. Current wages do not ensure social welfare," according to him.

Diamant Maraj, 23, says the party he will vote for has promised salary increases and he believes this promise will be fulfilled. For him, fighting corruption should also be a priority.

"It is suspected that there is corruption with the electricity. Let these suspicions be removed," says Diamanti.

Until the morning of February 9 - the duration of the election campaign - citizens will have the opportunity to hear and see what political parties are promising. On social networks, in interviews and on television debates, many of them have already unveiled ideas and promises, whether on foreign relations, economic development or reforms in healthcare and education.

Although similar improvements have been promised before, citizens' demands for more changes are repeated before each election. According to the Central Election Commission, there are 2,075,868 voters inside and outside Kosovo who will be able to choose who will represent them and their interests over the next four years. Of these, over 125,000 are new voters who turned 18 between the two election processes.

"So far, no party has convinced me to the point where I would say it's ideal to vote for," says 23-year-old lawyer Mimoza Maqedonci. She is waiting for the campaign to develop to learn more about their offers./ REL