By Ilir Deda
Dear Saša,
In our region, long-standing and unresolved issues continue to surface in very different ways—from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia.
Parliamentary elections were held in Kosovo this February. Nearly a month and a half later, there’s still no indication of whether a new government will be formed—or what it might look like. The elections didn’t yield a clear outcome. Vetëvendosje (VV) sought an outright majority while accusing voters of all other parties of siding with Serbia. In the end, they secured 42% of the vote (48 MPs).
Opposition parties, which focused more on economic development, collectively received more votes than VV: the Democratic Party (PDK) won 20% (24 MPs), the Democratic League (LDK) took 18% (20 MPs), and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo/Social Democratic Initiative (AAK/NISMA) coalition earned 7% (8 MPs).
Over 90% of Serb voters once again backed the Serb List, which claimed 9 of the 10 guaranteed minority seats, while Mr. Nenad Rašić’s party secured the remaining one.
I had hoped Kosovo’s Serbs would move toward political pluralism, helping to strengthen emerging political forces like Serbian Democracy and others. That didn’t happen.
As things stand, the new Assembly looks like this: out of 120 seats, 48 belong to the ruling party, 52 to the opposition, and 20 to non-majority communities.
The ongoing global geopolitical storm seems to have no effect on our political leaders, who show no urgency in forming a new government. It feels like a deadlock—no new majority is in sight, since the opposition refuses to work with VV, and forming a government made up of opposition parties also appears highly unlikely.
Unless party leaders radically change their current stance, we may well be heading for another round of snap elections in June or July. Then we have local elections in the fall—and there goes an entire year, lost to voting.
The political inertia used to frustrate me deeply when I was active in politics—this failure to seize the moment and the lack of a modern vision for comprehensive progress and bold solutions to entrenched problems. Some political actors have changed since then; some have become more responsible than their predecessors, while others are even less so.
I’m closely following what’s happening in Serbia and the broader region, including the massive rally in Belgrade on March 15, along with everything that has and hasn’t happened since. But I’d rather not comment—it’s all been too full of cheap, populist exploitation.
Many countries can easily miss critical, possibly decisive moments while our societies remain trapped in a cycle of unfinished transitions.
This year is crucial for Kosovo’s future. As we watch the formation of a new global order, Kosovo urgently needs a government capable of securing a place in Europe’s emerging strategic direction and significantly improving its shaky relationship with the United States.
We know what the conditions are—unblocking the dialogue by initiating the formation of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities (ASM), building trust among Serbs, especially in northern Kosovo, and taking a constructive approach to regional cooperation.
Citizens are counting on the major socio-economic package proposed by the opposition, as well as incentives for the private sector.
Everyone knows what needs to be done—but now it’s up to political actors who can make it happen to step up and take responsibility.
I hope things will be clearer by the time we write again.
Warm regards,
Ilir
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