Kosovo president dissolves parliament after lawmakers fail to elect new head of state

PRISTINE

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani announced on Friday that she has dissolved parliament after lawmakers failed to elect a new head of state within the constitutional deadline.

Speaking at a press conference, Osmani said attempts in parliament late Thursday to elect a new president were unsuccessful.

Calling the situation a major misfortune for the state, Osmani said: “Today, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, I issued the decision to dissolve the Assembly and through this decision I am fulfilling my clearly defined constitutional obligation.”

Osmani said lawmakers decided Thursday to take the country to new elections, adding that the situation could have been entirely avoided and accusing deputies of failing to prioritize the country’s interests.

Stressing that Kosovo’s parliament failed to fulfill one of its key constitutional obligations, Osmani said: “Article 86 of the Constitution clearly states that a new president must be elected no later than 30 days before the current president’s term expires.”

Osmani is expected to meet with political party leaders and announce the date of early general elections soon.

Presidential election

Osmani’s five-year presidential term will expire on April 4. According to the country’s constitution, a new president was required to be elected by March 5, but Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s party, the Self-Determination Movement (Vetevendosje), failed to persuade opposition lawmakers to support its candidate.

While opposition parties demanded a consensus presidential candidate, Kurti nominated Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca.

Parliament speaker Albulena Haxhiu said during the late-night session that there is “not enough majority to continue this session, we cannot proceed with the vote.”

Haxhiu said only 66 lawmakers were present, while at least 80 were required to hold the vote, and therefore suspended the session.

In a post on social media, Haxhiu said the parliament had applied to the Constitutional Court to review the constitutional compliance of the presidential election process and requested a temporary measure to suspend the constitutional deadline related to the process until a decision is made.

During the same session, proposals for constitutional amendments allowing the president to be elected directly by the public were also discussed, but the initiative failed to receive the necessary support from lawmakers.

Kosovo previously held general elections on Feb. 9, 2025, followed by early elections on Dec. 28, 2025. The new government led by Kurti received a vote of confidence in parliament on Feb. 11.