The aim of Vjosa Osmani’s campaign – Re-election or the Prime Minister’s office?

Due to a lack of support from her former coalition partner, the Self-Determination Movement, Vjosa Osmani was not re-elected as President of Kosovo in early March. Since then, the outgoing president has intensified her activities, including meetings with citizens, the dissolution of the Assembly, and the initiation of constitutional amendments for the direct election of the president. There has also been a rapprochement with the Democratic League of Kosovo. Interlocutors of Kosovo Online note that this indicates Osmani has already launched a campaign which, in their view, could harm Albin Kurti—whose position as prime minister she is potentially targeting.

Written by: Jelena Novakov

On March 6, Osmani issued a decree dissolving the Kosovo Assembly, stating that the failure of MPs to elect a new president had pushed Kosovo toward new elections. Political scientist Ajlbinot Maloku assessed this move as the beginning of a political campaign.

“It appears she has begun campaigning, as the decree dissolving the Assembly shows she believes in her political course of action. Her position is now clear—she intends to remain politically engaged in the future. She has a passion for politics,” Maloku said.

Shortly thereafter, Osmani began a series of meetings with citizens in various municipalities, which diplomat Albert Prenkaj described as a clear signal that the pre-election campaign for upcoming elections has begun.

“The president is preparing to run in new elections. Recently, she has been campaigning and conducting numerous activities. Political parties have also begun their preparations, but they must wait for a decision of the Constitutional Court,” Prenkaj assessed.

During these meetings, Osmani was accompanied by former MPs of the Guxo party, some of whom left the party after its leadership failed to support her re-election. According to analyst Adrian Zeqiri, these visits are part of preparations for her return to politics after the end of her presidential mandate.

Her former party, the Democratic League of Kosovo, has stated that it is open to cooperation with Osmani and would support her re-election if she were a consensus candidate. Party leader Lumir Abdixhiku said that uniting with Osmani would be beneficial for Kosovo. He added that he would speak more concretely after the expiration of her presidential term, while political analyst Arton Muhaxheri claims that, according to his information, a decision has already been made for Osmani to head the Democratic League’s electoral list.

The Presidency denied claims that Osmani has launched an election campaign, stating that her increased activities and meetings with citizens are consistent with her conduct throughout her five-year mandate.

“President Osmani has continuously met with citizens over the past five years and is doing so now to thank them for their support and to hear their views on issues of public interest,” said her media adviser Bekim Kupina.

Osmani’s presidential mandate expires on April 4, and under the Kosovo Constitution, she is prohibited until then from participating in any political entity or performing party functions. However, after that, according to Kosovo Online’s interlocutors, she could openly challenge Kurti and potentially threaten his position as prime minister.

A Campaign for the Premiership

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic stated that Osmani is conducting a political campaign with the potential aim of being elected prime minister. As currently the most popular opposition politician, she has several advantages, including a clearly pro-Western orientation, as well as a perception among Kurti’s voters that Self-Determination did not show her loyalty when it failed to nominate her for re-election.

“Vjosa Osmani has significant room for maneuver. She is in a position where, among opposition leaders, she is the most popular. She has broad latitude in shaping how she presents herself to voters in upcoming elections. She is expected to participate in elections, if they are held. She can either return to her former party, the Democratic League of Kosovo, or establish her own civic initiative and run in that capacity. She can assess what is most advantageous for her. She enjoys strong political support among voters and has stated herself that the presidency is not her ultimate political goal,” Gogic told Kosovo Online.

Gogic also noted that Osmani has positioned herself as someone who maintained good relations both with the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden and with current U.S. leader Donald Trump, with whom cooperation resulted in Kosovo’s participation in the Peace Committee.

“She will certainly present herself as someone who will improve Kosovo’s relations with Euro-Atlantic partners, but it is still unclear in what capacity she will participate in elections—whether as part of a party or through a new initiative. What is certain is that she will not be a candidate of her former party Guxo. It is also likely that she aims to become prime minister this time; she will probably not be satisfied with running merely to return to the presidency, but will instead emerge as a competitor to Kurti for the premiership,” Gogic assessed.

Commenting on the timing of her campaign, Gogic noted that Osmani remained silent until the deadline for electing a president in early March, after which she submitted amendments to parliament for the direct election of the president—requiring constitutional changes.

“Once it became clear that Self-Determination would not nominate her and that the president would not be elected in parliament, she began a political campaign for parliamentary elections. Whether this means a bid for the presidency or possibly the premiership remains to be seen,” Gogic said.

Regarding her key campaign advantages, Gogic emphasized that, unlike Kurti, Osmani has long been perceived as unequivocally pro-Western and is often seen in Kosovo as “Washington’s candidate.” Another advantage, he added, is the sentiment among some Self-Determination voters that the party “betrayed” her by not supporting her re-election.

“She may also capitalize on a sense of resentment. Just as Kurti once built his popularity on claims of unfair treatment by other parties, she could use a similar emotional narrative. Many Self-Determination voters did not understand why Kurti did not nominate Osmani for re-election, which caused confusion, as they were widely perceived as a political tandem,” Gogic concluded.

Coalition with the Democratic League of Kosovo

Analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu stated that Osmani is already engaged in a political campaign and expects that she will form her own electoral list and run in coalition with the Democratic League of Kosovo in the next elections, should they be held.

“She is already campaigning and appealing to citizens, and it is known how she will run. She will likely form her own list and, in coalition with the Democratic League, seek to achieve the best possible result,” he said.

Spahiu added that Osmani began her campaign as soon as it became clear she would not be re-elected as president. In his view, she has greater potential to politically damage Kurti than other opposition leaders, such as Bedri Hamza and Lumir Abdixhiku.

“Her advantage lies in her courage, assertiveness, charisma, and strong personality. Unlike the other two opposition leaders, she is very bold and will harm Albin Kurti far more,” he stated.

A Favorable Moment

Program Director of the NGO Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture in North Mitrovica, Aleksandar Rapajic, also agrees that Osmani is already in campaign mode and believes that elections at this moment would suit her best. According to him, the desire for elections was precisely the reason behind dissolving the Assembly and initiating the electoral process.

“I believe she is primarily positioning herself toward her former party, the Democratic League of Kosovo. The question now is how strong her political influence is and how much she can contribute. The Democratic League performed poorly in the last elections, so they also need reinforcement,” Rapajic said.

He added that toward the end of her mandate, Osmani gained prominence through Kosovo’s participation in the Peace Committee and has positioned herself as a figure capable of improving relations between the United States and Kosovo.

“At one point, she unexpectedly rose on the political scene due to her participation in Trump’s Peace Committee, which brought her significant media attention. However, I believe that advantage was temporary, and as time passes, its significance will diminish. I do not believe she will secure substantial political support in Kosovo,” Rapajic concluded.