Kosovo's Constitutional Court Orders Lawmakers to Elect a President by October 6
Kurti's party lacks the two-thirds majority needed to elect a president, after a late-August deal with the opposition collapsed.
Kosovo's Constitutional Court has ordered lawmakers to elect a new president by October 6, after several previous attempts collapsed in recent months amid divisions within and between political parties.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti's government won approval in parliament on September 13, backed by 62 of 120 lawmakers, ending three months of political paralysis. Electing a president, however, requires a two-thirds majority, which Kurti's Vetëvendosje party lacks despite having won three elections since February 2025.
In late August, Kurti reached a deal with the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) to back law professor Bekim Sejdiu for president, but the agreement fell apart after six opposition lawmakers rejected it. If parliament fails to elect a president by the new deadline, Kosovo could face its fourth snap election in just two years.
The crisis stems largely from Kurti's hardline stance toward Serbia — opposition parties accuse him of alienating Kosovo's traditional Western backers through unilateral measures in the Serb-dominated north. The gridlock has already delayed EU accession reforms and access to pre-accession funding.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · September 26, 2026
