Stevic: Kurti has lost the trust of part of the citizens, opposition is more ready for elections

If new elections are held, Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti will receive less support than in the previous vote, journalist Lazar Stevic from North Mitrovica says. According to him, the opposition parties are more prepared for elections, while international actors, particularly the Quint countries, are hoping for change.

Stevic says that the international community, especially the United States, is dissatisfied with its cooperation with the current Kurti government and wants to see political changes in Pristina.

“Serbs also want a new government, one that can engage in dialogue and work toward resolving the situation, both in the north and in the rest of Kosovo,” Stevic told Kosovo Online.

He believes that despite introducing social measures and wage increases, Kurti has lost the trust of part of the electorate due to the poor economic situation and mass emigration.

“All the actions Kurti has carried out in the north against the Serbs have caused us great harm. It is also evident that he hasn’t opened a single new factory in the south of Kosovo or created new jobs. He tried to improve things with social programs and wage hikes, but the economic situation remains difficult, despite how they present it. Thousands of dissatisfied Albanians have left Kosovo over the past three to four years for Europe,” Stevic said.

At yesterday’s session of the Kosovo Assembly, Kurti failed to secure the necessary majority to form a new government, which is an outcome Stevic says was expected.

“He didn’t get the MPs’ support. This has been talked about for some time, and we knew he wouldn’t have enough votes. Now we will see whether Vjosa Osmani will invite one of the opposition parties, namely, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the second-largest party, to try to form a government. If they also fail within 15 days, it is almost certain that new parliamentary elections will be called within the legal deadline of 40 days,” Stevic explained.

According to him, Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement has seen a sharp decline in popularity, both nationally and locally.

“Since the last parliamentary elections, Kurti and Self-Determination have experienced a significant drop in support across Kosovo. They haven’t achieved notable results in the local elections either, and now they face a tough second-round battle against the PDK, the strongest opposition party, and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), both of which have strengthened their positions and taken control in several municipalities,” Stevic noted.

He added that the biggest political winners over the past year have been the opposition parties.

“The PDK and LDK achieved strong results in both the last parliamentary and local elections, so we can expect them to benefit the most this time as well. Whether they’ll form a coalition remains to be seen. They cannot form a government alone, they will need the support of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) led by Ramush Haradinaj, which is in coalition with Nisma, and the Serb List, which has nine MPs in the Assembly, will also play a very important role,” Stevic said.

He believes that the Serb List is currently the most prepared political force for the upcoming elections.

“The Serb List has proven itself to be the most organized party in previous elections. Wherever they ran, they won an absolute majority. I expect them to reaffirm their dominance in Serb-majority areas in the new elections as well. As for the Albanian parties, we have seen the weaknesses of Self-Determination, while the leaders of the LDK and PDK have already expressed readiness to head into elections,” Stevic concluded.