"We defeated Serbia", Kurti: Even if PDK and LDK unite, they cannot reach us

Albin Kurti has rejected any possibility of forming a governing coalition with the Democratic Party of Kosovo or the Democratic League. In a reaction to supporters of the Vetevendosje Movement, Kurti also criticized the media in Kosovo.

Kosovo's ruling Vetevendosje party is close to winning Sunday's parliamentary elections, but it fell short of the outright majority needed to govern without coalition partners, Reuters reported, citing preliminary results. The election result marks a decline from the more than 50 percent that Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party won in 2021. But it puts him in a position to lead the next government in a country whose politics are dominated by relations with neighboring Serbia and Serbs within its borders.

“What we know from the preliminary results is that even if you combine PDK (the second party in the preliminary results) and LDK (the third party in the preliminary results) it will not be close to Vetëvendosje (in numbers). The preliminary results have shown another very valuable and very important thing for politics and history and that is that the people of Kosovo on February 9, 2025 defeated Serbia and also Klan Serbia” (paraphrasing the name of the national television Klan Kosova).

Another Kurti-led government could see a continuation of policies to expand government control over the north, home to about 50,000 ethnic Serbs, many of whom refuse to recognize Kosovo’s independence from Serbia in 2008. That worries moderates who fear a return to the ethnic violence that has plagued the region in recent years. Vetëvendosje won 41.3% of the vote with 88% of votes counted, official results from the Election Commission showed. The opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo was second with 21.8% and the Democratic League of Kosovo 17.8%.

Monday is likely to see the start of coalition talks, although it is not clear which party or parties Vetëvendosje will join. During a tough election campaign, in which fines for misconduct were tripled compared to the 2021 elections, Kurti said he would refuse to govern with a coalition. (A2 Televizion)