Gogic: Diaspora and calculations led to poor election results for the opposition

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic pointed out that two factors led to the poor results of opposition parties in the elections held on 28 December – votes from the diaspora and the calculations of those parties, which were unwilling to assume responsibility and try to form the Kosovo government.

Speaking to Kosovo Online, Gogic said that Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister and Self-Determination leader Albin Kurti recorded a decline in support among the local population, but that he was backed by the diaspora, which, he added, does not live with the consequences of his policies.

“Two factors influenced the opposition’s poor result. The first is the arrival of the Albanian diaspora, which was completely expected, as this is the time of year when a large number of members of the Albanian community from the diaspora come to Kosovo. It was known that they favored Kurti, and this proved to be the case. If the elections had been held at any other time, Kurti would have fared worse. He actually recorded a decline in support among the local population, that is, Albanians living in Kosovo, but the diaspora views politics differently and granted him their trust, even though they do not live with the consequences of the policies and decisions implemented in Kosovo,” Gogic said.

As he added, the second factor was the calculations the opposition made in the previous period.

Gogic noted that the opposition did not want to assume responsibility and attempt to form a government.

“The other factor that influenced the opposition’s poor results was their calculations and tactical maneuvering, which proved to be wrong. The opposition, since the February elections, did not even try to form a government. At no point did it show a desire to reach a mutual agreement, even though, mathematically speaking, it had the possibility to form a government. Altogether, they had more MPs than Kurti and, with the support of the Serb List and other communities, they could have formed a government, at least a transitional or technical one. However, they consistently avoided responsibility and effectively sent the message that they did not want to assume responsibility for the functioning of institutions,” Gogic said.

As a result, he added, voters punished them.

“They simply did not want to give support to someone who does not want to assume responsibility. Then the question arises as to the point of their participation in the elections. Also, if the opposition had wanted to and had been more effective, it could have ensured that the elections were held at a different time. They themselves allowed Kurti and Vjosa Osmani to schedule the elections for 28 December. They could have done so earlier if they had taken on the mandate to form a government,” our interlocutor said.

Gogic concluded that the opposition had chances and opportunities it failed to use, while Kurti made use of his.