Vjosa Osmani has launched sharp criticism at her former allies in Vetëvendosje as Kosovo heads toward snap parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7.
Speaking at a gathering of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), where she was introduced as the party’s presidential candidate under the slogan “Assembly of Unity,” Osmani accused the ruling party of plunging Kosovo back into elections and targeting anyone who places “the republic above party interests.”
Once close political partners, Osmani and Vetëvendosje leader Albin Kurti now appear to be open rivals after her hopes for another presidential mandate failed to secure the backing of the ruling movement.
Without mentioning Vetëvendosje directly, Osmani claimed that the governing party was troubled by “a president who sits with the President of the United States,” adding that some political actors viewed Kosovo’s growing international visibility as a threat.
“Who could have imagined that 27 years after the war, someone would see it as a problem that doors have opened for Kosovo, that Kosovo’s flag has begun to be raised at world forums — especially by those who cannot raise that flag even at domestic forums, let alone international ones,” Osmani said, according to Klan Kosova.
She further accused unnamed opponents of using fear and public intimidation to maintain political control, while insisting that LDK “has the truth,” whereas others “have only propaganda.”
Osmani framed Kosovo’s political future as a choice between “two paths.” One, she said, belongs to politicians willing to send the country to elections “every three months” and eliminate political opponents. The other, according to her, follows the legacy of late Kosovo leader Ibrahim Rugova — a path based on international partnerships, mutual respect, and democratic unity.
“The republic does not belong to one man or one party,” Osmani told supporters. “It belongs to the people.”
The June 7 elections were triggered after Kosovo’s Assembly failed, in six attempts, to elect a new president due to a lack of quorum caused by an opposition boycott.
The constitutional deadline expired on April 28, forcing the country into another electoral cycle.
More than 2 million voters are eligible to participate in what will be Kosovo’s third general election in just over a year.
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