The parliament in Kosovo has re-elected the previous incumbent Albin Kurti as Prime Minister.
02/12/2026, 04:2602/12/2026, 04:27
66 of the 120 MPs voted for the 50-year-old Social Democrat and 49 against him. The vote was broadcast live on Parliament’s website.
Albin Kurti in the popular election at the end of December.Image: keystone
As a result of the parliamentary elections on December 28th last year, Kurti has a solid parliamentary majority. It relies on the 57 MPs from the Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party he leads, as well as most of the ten MPs from the parties of non-Serbian ethnic minorities.
In his government statement, Kurti announced that he wanted to spend one billion euros on defense spending over the next four years. This creates the basis for expanding the armed forces, purchasing modern weapons and starting our own production of combat drones, he continued.
Together with the Prime Minister, Parliament also elected the new government, which includes 19 ministers. The former parliamentary speaker and Kurti confidante Glauk Konjucfa became foreign minister. The previous incumbent, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, became Minister of Justice.
Almost a year of only caretaker government
Kurti has held the office of Prime Minister since 2021. Most recently, he only ruled in an acting capacity for almost a year. The parliamentary election on February 9, 2025 did not lead to a clear balance of power. Vetevendosje also emerged as the relatively strongest force, but together with the non-Serb ethnic parties it did not have a majority. The stalemate necessitated another election in December.
Kosovo, which is now inhabited almost exclusively by Albanians, was formerly a Serbian province. After armed uprisings by Kosovo Albanians and a war in which NATO intervened, the country declared independence in 2008. More than 100 countries, including Switzerland and Germany, have recognized independence, but not Serbia, Russia and some EU states. Kosovo therefore only has the status of a “potential EU candidate country”. (sda/dpa)