Pavkovic: New elections are not Kurti’s goal, he is aware of declining popularity

Milos Pavkovic, associate at the Center for European Policy, doubts that the leader of the Self-Determination Movement, Albin Kurti, is preparing for snap elections as a way out of the institutional crisis, because he is aware that both he and his party are experiencing a decline in popularity among voters.

"I don’t think Kurti’s goal is to go into campaign mode or call snap elections, given that the previous elections showed Self-Determination entering a negative trend, it won ten fewer seats than in the prior elections. He sees elections more as a backup option," Pavkovic said to Kosovo Online.

Commenting on speculation that the leader of the Self-Determination Movement has already entered a pre-election campaign with his actions both in and outside of parliament, Pavkovic said Kurti is sending nationalist messages precisely because he is trying to avoid the possibility of snap elections.

"He is sending messages of nationalism and portraying a successful government so that, if he is forced into elections, he can try to keep public opinion engaged and potentially prevent further decline, maybe even win more votes than in February," Pavkovic said.

However, this analyst doubts that Kurti will be able to stop or reverse the negative trend with his current rhetoric.

"I don’t think Kurti can do anything to reverse this negative trend. In all previous elections, he played the nationalism card the most, and that used to bring him votes. But now it is clear that the nationalism card wasn’t enough. He won ten seats fewer than in the previous elections, and he simply doesn’t have any economic results to show. It is obvious that other issues, not necessarily more important, but ones that cost him votes, have taken over: economic concerns, failed diplomacy, and domestic politics. These are the burdens that now prevent Kurti from presenting any meaningful results," Pavkovic emphasized.

He believes a turnaround could only happen in an “extreme scenario.”

"I don’t think elections would benefit Kurti, nor that he could gain more votes in any way, except in some extreme scenario where something completely unexpected happens, and he manages to capitalize on that wave. As things currently stand, Self-Determination has entered a negative, declining trend from which I see no way out," Pavkovic concluded.