Stevic: At the new elections, the opposition might benefit because Self-Determination has done nothing

Journalist from North Mitrovica, Lazar Stevic, assesses that the only option after Glauk Konjufca was not elected as Kosovo’s prime minister is for President Vjosa Osmani to call new parliamentary elections. Although he does not expect drastic changes in the votes that parties will receive, he says it is possible that the opposition could benefit because Self-Determination has done nothing in the previous period.

“It was clear from the start that Self-Determination does not have the necessary number of votes in the Kosovo Assembly to form a government. They were aiming to extend the deadline, and now everyone is saying that elections could be held at the end of December. December 28 is being mentioned,” Stevic says.

He adds that this date is most favorable for Self-Determination due to the return of diaspora voters to Kosovo.

“We all know that a large number of diaspora voters support Self-Determination. They want to take advantage of this to achieve better results,” Stevic explains.

As he points out, the next key step is the decision of the President of Kosovo.

“Everyone is urging Vjosa Osmani to call new elections as soon as possible to comply with the procedure. The legal deadline is forty days from the day of announcement, so everyone is calling on her to act quickly to make use of the days when people from the diaspora will be arriving,” Stevic emphasizes.

He notes that the opposition believes everything done so far has been in agreement between Self-Determination and Osmani.

“The next step is new elections, the only question is which date – December 28 or January 4, 2026,” he says.

Stevic believes citizens will not be motivated to turn out in large numbers for these elections.

“People are saturated with elections and campaigns. There have been too many this year – parliamentary, two rounds of local elections, and now another parliamentary election. I do not expect drastic changes in votes. The opposition could probably benefit the most, primarily because Self-Determination has done nothing in the previous period, almost a year in a technical mandate, while institutions are completely blocked,” our interlocutor notes.

He reminds that neither the budget for Pristina, nor for other cities, nor for the entire territory of Kosovo has been adopted, creating dissatisfaction among citizens.

“The opposition can gain a lot in the new elections,” he believes.

He points out that no one from the opposition wants to cooperate with Kurti.

“No one wanted even to sit at the table with Albin Kurti, let alone join a coalition. We could see that in the Assembly session when they did not attend the proposal to adopt the budget and did not support him in forming a new government,” he recalls.

Stevic believes the Serb List will be a very important factor in forming a new government.

“As strange as it may sound to Albanians, the biggest winner of the previous parliamentary and local elections is the Serb List. It is important that the Serb List participates at the central level of government so that decisions made in the previous period, especially in northern Kosovo, can be overturned. Only in this way can the survival and better life of people living in these areas be ensured,” Stevic says.