Muhaxhiri: Early elections inevitable, timing of particular importance for Kurti

Analyst Artan Muhaxhiri believes that early elections are inevitable, as there are no indications that political leaders and parties will find a solution to the issue of the president.

In potential new elections, he assesses that Self-Determination would receive fewer votes than it did in December last year.

“This is the second time that Prime Minister Kurti is doing the same thing. Last year he did it with the speaker of parliament, and now with the president. Even though he has 51 percent, he is not trying to find an acceptable solution. The only thing he is trying to do is blame the opposition,” Muhaxhiri told Kosovo Online.

As he adds, in potential elections Self-Determination will not have ties with Vjosa Osmani, who previously helped them significantly when there was a kind of alliance between Kurti and Osmani to bring in a new generation of political leaders.

“Kurti will not have Osmani now. I am certain that she will form a new party and become part of the political game. She will take votes from Self-Determination, but also attract some new ones. When she joined Self-Determination, she brought her own votes, and now it is legitimate that she can take them away,” Muhaxhiri assesses.

The opposition, however, he points out, has no plan and is very passive, even though everything depends on it.

“If the opposition is very weak and cannot defeat Kurti’s populism, he will win again. However, if they pursue normal politics, bring in new people, professionals, and if they have the support of Vjosa Osmani as an ally, I think Self-Determination will have fewer votes and the opposition more, which would bring changes to Kosovo’s political scene. Of course, everything depends on percentages, but at least change would begin because Kurti would no longer have this overwhelming majority and would be forced to make compromises and return to more normal politics,” Muhaxhiri says.

He assesses that, especially for Kurti, the timing of possible elections will be extremely important, as last year he enabled them to be held on December 28, when most of the diaspora comes to Kosovo for the New Year, and that it is very likely he will again try to delay elections to a date when the largest part of the diaspora will be present.

“Probably in July, because he is aware that he has strong support from the diaspora. But this is also a question for the opposition: why are they doing nothing to win some votes from the Kosovo diaspora? It is now taken for granted that the diaspora largely votes for Kurti, and that will certainly be a major factor, because Kurti has no other trump cards for the elections, for example economic development, wage increases, or infrastructure development. He will try to provide assistance to people, 100 euros, 200 euros, in order to create a direct connection especially with poorer voters to gain some support, because he has no other major promise that would enable him to win 51 percent again,” Muhaxhiri concluded.