Kosovo heading for an early vote after lawmakers fail to elect government

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PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo lawmakers on Wednesday failed to elect a new government, paving the way for an early election following a monthslong political crisis in the small Balkan nation.

Prime Minister-designate Glauk Konjufca, from the governing Self-Determination Movement party won 56 votes in the 120-member assembly, which is just short of a majority needed for the election.

The vote is a blow for the governing party of acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti. The party won the most votes at an election in February, but not enough to rule alone. It has since failed to form a political alliance that would secure a parliamentary majority.

President Vjosa Osmani now must dissolve parliament and call an early vote within 10 days.

This is the first time that Kosovo hasn't been able to form a government since it declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 following a 1998-99 war that killed around 13,000 people.

Kurti, the acting prime minister who has been in power since 2021, has faced criticism for allegedly curbing political dialogue and straining relations with Kosovo's allies in the United States and the European Union.

Konjufca, who was proposed as a possible compromise solution instead of Kurti, has urged lawmakers to “spare” Kosovo from a another vote, saying it "would be arrogant to take the country to an election again.”

“If we hold one (vote) in December, who guarantees that we won’t have another one in March as well,” he said.

The prolonged crisis means that Kosovo hasn't approved a budget for next year, sparking fears of possible negative effects on the already poor economy in the country of 2 million people.

Serbia has refused to acknowledge Kosovo's independence which has been recognized by Washington and most of the EU's 27 countries but not Belgrade's allies Russia and China. Unresolved relations with Serbia have blocked Kosovo’s attempts to become a candidate country for EU membership.

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Jovana Gec contributed to this report from Belgrade, Serbia.

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This story has been corrected to show that the Kosovo president’s first name is Vjosa, not Vlosa.