Kosovo is holding early parliamentary elections to form a new government amid a coronavirus pandemic, an economic downturn and stalled negotiations with Serbia. Reducing unemployment and fighting organized crime and corruption remain the biggest challenges.
Nearly 1.8 million eligible voters will elect 120 lawmakers from among more than 1,000 candidates from 28 political groups. About 100,000 Kosovo Albanians in the diaspora also have the right to vote by post. Those infected with Covid also have the right to vote. Special groups went to the apartments where the quarantined persons are or to the hospital to allow them to vote.
Early elections were called after the Constitutional Court of Kosovo declared invalid the vote of a lawmaker convicted of "subsidy fraud", Etem Arifi, who helped confirm the Cabinet of Interim Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti of the Democratic League of Kosovo. The cabinet was appointed in June after Albin Kurti of the Vetëvendosje Movement party resigned as prime minister.
The European Union has sent a Mission of Election Experts to Kosovo to monitor voting.
Today's election should create the opportunity for the election of the country's new president. For this post, the candidacy has been announced by Vjosa Osmani who is in coalition with the Vetëvendosje Movement and Ramush Haradinaj, chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.
The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhaçka, described the elections in Kosovo as "crucial". "A great day for Kosovo! We wish for a peaceful and civic race as Kosovar citizens deserve. This is a crucial time for Albanians in Kosovo, Albania, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro and everywhere. A time to show Europe and the world prudence and wisdom! ” she wrote on Facebook.
Sources: Voice of America, Euronea, Radio Free Europe
