Kasolli: Hate speech during the campaign reflects Kosovo’s political situation

Analyst Afrim Kasolli stated that heightened tensions during the election campaign, including inflammatory rhetoric and hate speech, reflect the political situation in Kosovo, where February 9 is seen as a "referendum" for Prime Minister Albin Kurti and a matter of "life or death" for opposition parties.

"Offensive language and hate speech used by political parties in this campaign reflect their perception and understanding of these elections. Figuratively speaking, for every political party, these elections are of vital importance. In a way, it is a matter of life or death for them because the Self-Determination Movement sees this election as an opportunity to reaffirm its power," Kasolli told Kosovo Online.

The analyst pointed out that Albin Kurti has framed these elections as "referendum-like."

"Prime Minister Kurti has repeatedly called for these elections to be seen as a kind of referendum in which Kosovo’s citizens would evaluate the government’s success. At the same time, for opposition parties, this election is crucial, given the results of the last elections and the significant lead that Self-Determination achieved. That is why they now need political resurgence," Kasolli explained.

He sees this as one of the key reasons behind the tense electoral atmosphere, as well as the high number of complaints and fines for campaign behavior.

"Institutions monitoring the elections have so far imposed very high fines on political parties, exceeding 400,000 euros. This is unprecedented compared to previous election campaigns," Kasolli emphasized.

He points out that Albin Kurti stands out in his use of inflammatory rhetoric because he wants to present himself as a truly "charismatic leader" in comparison to his opponents.

"He started the campaign using offensive language against opposition leaders, calculating that, given our political perception of leadership charisma, he could present himself as the only true leader with no worthy rival," Kasolli said.
He explains that Kurti has based his campaign on research showing that in Kosovo, more than 30% of young voters choose political leaders over political programs.

For this reason, Kasolli notes, Kurti is the only candidate for prime minister who has not presented his vision for governing from 2025 to 2029.

"Kurti has exploited this political and social atmosphere, using offensive language against political opponents to maximize voter mobilization through his charisma and leadership," Kasolli concluded.