Earlier this year the prime minister, who declined POLITICO’s request for comment, declined to endorse his bid for re-election to parliament, and instead endorsed nominees from his own party. But after none of the candidates got the necessary votes, the country plunged into a crisis that eventually led to this Sunday’s vote.
Parliamentary elections, that is the third to be done in just one yearthere is no possibility of resolving the difficult internal political situation in Kosovo. Although no reliable polls are available, political analysts predict the ruling Vetëvendosje party will once again win the most seats, allowing Kurti to remain prime minister.
But it is still unclear who will be president: no party is expected to control the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to elect a new head of state, which means that difficult negotiations are imminent.
Osmani is running for parliament in Sunday’s election but he intends to retake the presidency, which gives its holder the power to return laws to parliamentarians for reconsideration and to appoint senior judicial and administrative officials.
An independent who was previously a high-ranking member of the right-wing Democratic League of Kosovo, accused Kurti of seeking to consolidate power by undermining the presidency.
“He wants to control all the institutions completely,” he said, citing efforts to keep “a president who is silent abroad and completely restrained at home.”
