Baraliu: No party got what it expected in the elections, an interesting period ahead before the second round

University professor Mazllum Baraliu believes that no political party received the results it expected in the local elections, and that the period leading up to the second round will be very interesting, especially given that the deadline for forming the Government of Kosovo is also underway.

Baraliu emphasized that, in the time before the second round, the two parties that received the most votes in municipalities heading into a runoff will work to secure those municipalities by negotiating with other parties.

“No political party got what it expected, planned, or promised. Certainly, neither did Self-Determination. They most likely thought they would receive more, but it all depends on what the sovereign citizen decided, and the citizen has said what we can now see, and what we will see once all votes are finally counted and we have the final result of this round. We’ll see what happens in the second round. It will be interesting because every party, whether in first or second place, will try to win over more political parties through tacit or transparent agreements in order to secure municipalities that are going to a runoff, and that’s the case with most municipalities,” Baraliu told Kosovo Online.

According to him, such agreements could also influence the formation of the Government of Kosovo. However, he is skeptical that this will happen if parties continue negotiating at the current pace.

“If there have been, say, tacit or informal agreements in this round of local elections, or if there will be, which is possible since every political party is interested in gaining as many municipalities as possible, then they will certainly affect the formation of the new government. But if things continue at the same pace as in the last seven or eight months, I don’t believe such agreements will happen. Unfortunately, the parties have failed to overcome their differences and agree on key issues for the benefit of citizens, the country’s prospects, and even internationally. We haven’t seen that, which is why I remain skeptical,” Baraliu added.

He pointed out that the period until the second round will be particularly interesting because voters’ opinions may shift.

“This period before the second round will certainly be interesting, and we’ll see how voters decide, because in the second round there’s often a realignment of voters, both politically and psychologically,” he noted.

Still, Baraliu concludes that none of the political parties are satisfied with the outcome. He says that, both in central and local elections, citizens have given parties clear guidance on what to do in the coming period, but the parties have so far failed to respect the will of the voters.

“Everyone expected more. However, the voter has spoken, that is their sovereign right. I think that both in the parliamentary and local elections, citizens gave recommendations on how politics should be conducted in the next term, and possibly even in the next government. But the political parties simply haven’t respected the citizens’ voice enough. They have tried in various ways to shift the blame onto one another. This time, though, citizens have made their point, and every political party, to a greater or lesser extent, has been punished,” Baraliu concluded.