Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti failed to secure enough support in Kosovo's parliament to form a new government, plunging the country further into political chaos and bringing it closer to its second elections this year.
Only 56 parliamentary deputies voted in favor of Kurti's proposed administration on October 26, five short of the number needed for approval. Fifty-two voted against the government and four abstained.
The country has been wracked by political paralysis since inconclusive elections in February, with dozens of attempts to even start the parliamentary session since the vote scuppered by a political stalemate with the opposition.
That impasse was broken earlier this month, but discord between parties has made it impossible to form a government at a time when the country is looking to make progress on its path to European Union membership.
Parliamentary speaker Dimal Basha said that the responsibility for what happens next moves to President Vjosa Osmani. According to the constitution, Osmani must appoint a second prime minister-designate within 10 days.
However, Memli Krasniqi, the leader of the second-largest party in the assembly, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, has said that he will ask Osmani to go to the polls immediately.
Other parties and some political analysts agreed.
"This result is a direct consequence of the lack of political dialogue and the failure to reach agreements that would enable the normal functioning of the country's institutions," the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI), a nongovernmental organization that promotes democratic governance and transparency, said on social media.
"Under these circumstances, early parliamentary elections represent the most sustainable and credible option to end this crisis and restore to citizens the opportunity to determine the political direction of the country."
Fresh Elections Very Likely
Kurti's Vetevendosje (VV) party won 48 seats in the February 9 elections but has not been able to cobble together enough support to reach the 61-seat majority needed to approve a government.
With his options appearing to have been exhausted, even Kurti admitted earlier this week that fresh elections may be the only answer left.
Some analysts said even that option may not solve the crisis.
“New elections won’t bring major changes when it comes to the distribution of mandates," Agon Maliqi, a Kosovo analyst and fellow at the Atlantic Council told RFE/RL in a statement.
But, he added, parties will likely be forced to reach some form of consensus and compromise.
The failure comes at a critical time for Kosovo, one of Europe’s poorest countries.
Ambassadors from the Quint countries -- the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy -- have urged the swift formation of a stable and functional government -- essential, they emphasized, for unlocking frozen funds, addressing key domestic and international priorities, and advancing Kosovo’s path toward Euro-Atlantic integration.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has said progress is needed if Kosovo is to take advantage of the bloc's 6 billion euros ($6.8 billion) Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
“The past year has had a very negative impact because the international community hasn’t had a real partner in Kosovo for a positive agenda," Maliqi said.
