• Kurti: Blockades for assembly constitution and govt formation are inexistent (media)
• Tahiri: AAK will be part of Assembly, even if we don’t get a vote from diaspora (Klan)
• No more time to lose: 2026 must deliver functioning institutions and real progress (Koha)
• Democracy in Action: Elections in line with democratic standards (media)
• Osmani hosts members of the Advisory Council for Communities (media)
• Kosovo in 2025: Wartime sexual abuse stigma challenged in public (BIRN)

Kurti: Blockades for assembly constitution and govt formation are inexistent (media)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that after Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections, the Vetevendosje Movement is surpassing the result it had scored in the February 2021 elections. Asked about the constitution of the assembly and the formation of the new government, Kurti said: “I don’t have anything more to say. The results are clearer than ever before. We expected we would surpass the results of February 9 [parliamentary elections], but it seems that we are surpassing the results of February 14, 2021, too. Blockades for the constitution of the assembly and obstacles for the formation of the new government are now inexistent,” he told reporters after a meeting with officials of the Post of Kosovo.

Asked about the election of the President, Kurti said he would soon meet with President Vjosa Osmani and then see how to proceed. “We will first wait for the certification of [election] results. The Assembly needs to be constituted, and we need to see the composition of the tenth legislative and then we will proceed. I have also said that I will soon meet President Osmani, and we need to talk together about the way forward. But keep in mind that first comes the constitution of the assembly, then the formation of the government and only after that the election of the president,” he said.

Kurti also said that at the first meeting of the new government they will send to the Kosovo Assembly the decision on the budget for 2026 and the decision on the 13th salary for the public sector. “It will be made early next year, depending on when the Assembly is constituted and how fast we form the new government. At the first meeting of the new government, together with the decision on the law for the budget for 2026, we will also have the decision for the 13th salary which we will allocate early next year,” he said.

Tahiri: AAK will be part of Assembly, even if we don’t get a vote from diaspora (Klan)

Candidate from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) for MP, Besnik Tahiri, said that it has been confirmed that this party will be part of the new Assembly. He said in a Facebook post: “the Alliance already has 50,000 votes in Kosovo alone, and even if we don’t get a vote from the diaspora or the conditional votes, we will be part of the new Assembly”.

No more time to lose: 2026 must deliver functioning institutions and real progress (Koha)

Opinion by EU Ambassador in Kosovo, Aivo Orav.

When I wrote my previous op-ed last year, I was still new to Kosovo, with only four months in office. A year later, I no longer consider myself new. The year behind us has deepened my understanding of Kosovo—its history, its culture, and, above all, the remarkable energy, positive attitude, and resilience of its people.

Throughout the year, my municipal outreach took me across Kosovo. Traveling from one municipality to another, I met people from all communities and listened to their concerns, aspirations, and everyday challenges. These conversations provided valuable insight into local realities, as well as a strong commitment to European values and a desire for a better future.

At a time of profound global uncertainty, values matter more than ever.

Europe is living through the most challenging period of this century. Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine has shattered long-held assumptions about peace on our continent and reminded us that security, democracy, and freedom can never be taken for granted.

Being a peace project from the very beginning, the European Union has returned to its fundamentals. United in supporting Ukraine, the EU stayed the course, adapting its policies and instruments to the wider security challenges posed by Russia’s continued aggression. Strong in its unity, the EU sent a clear message: we will not succumb to intimidation or aggression.

In this changing geopolitical environment, it is encouraging to see Kosovo standing firmly on the right side of history.

Kosovo’s alignment with the European Union’s foreign and security policy, including its full support for sanctions against Russia and Belarus, goes beyond a mere political stance. It reflects a principled commitment to the EU and a clear willingness to contribute to Europe’s security. This also marks adherence to European values in difficult times, which is essential for showcasing Kosovo as a reliable partner at a moment when the EU’s enlargement and gradual integration policies have gained renewed momentum.

This momentum, together with the EU’s continuous support for Kosovo, represents an opportunity that must be seized.

Since 1999, the European Union has invested over €3.7 billion in Kosovo, making it Kosovo’s strongest partner and the largest provider of financial assistance. These investments, which continue to grow year after year, clearly demonstrate that the EU sees Kosovo not only as a partner, but as an integral part of the European integration process.

We have looked with hope and encouragement at positive developments, including the notably good conduct of the parliamentary elections in February and the municipal elections in October and November, followed by the smooth handover of power in the four northern municipalities. This is key to the inclusion of all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity, in Kosovo’s political life.

These developments, in turn, allowed the EU to begin gradually lifting the measures introduced in 2023, as announced by High Representative Kallas during her visit to Pristina in May. In the margins of the EU–Western Balkans Summit on 17 December, President von der Leyen informed that all remaining funds will be released by early next year.

However, Kosovo has been held back by a prolonged political stalemate. In many ways, 2025 was a lost year. Political and institutional paralysis not only stalled reforms at home, but also limited Kosovo’s ability to fully benefit from EU support, including the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which earmarked €882 million for Kosovo’s economic growth and necessary reforms.

Despite this, I remain hopeful that the final days of 2025 will mark a turning point.

I trust that the elections of 28 December will enable the swift constitution of the Assembly and the formation of a stable government. Kosovo cannot afford another year of stagnation.

The limits of Kosovo’s Constitution were sufficiently tested in 2025 and do not need to be tested further. Respect for the rule of law, the independence of judicial institutions—including the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council—and continued judicial reform remain essential for Kosovo’s democratic development and European future.

Equally important is the preservation of Kosovo’s multi-ethnic character. Kosovo’s Constitution, based on the Ahtisaari Plan, recognises Kosovo as a multi-ethnic society and provides strong protections for the rights of non-majority communities, decentralised governance, and mechanisms for political participation. Fully embracing and implementing this constitutional framework is in the interest of everyone living in Kosovo.

It is imperative that Kosovo establishes fully functioning institutions without delay.

The European Union needs a stable and reliable partner—one capable of implementing reforms and honouring the commitments Kosovo has undertaken vis-à-vis the EU, including in the context of the EU-facilitated Dialogue on the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Progress in the implementation of the normalisation agreement remains key for both countries’ progress on their European paths.

There is no more time to lose. 2026 must deliver functioning institutions and real progress for Kosovo—progress in economic development, the fight against corruption, education, healthcare, and environmental protection. Ultimately, these reforms are about improving the daily lives of people across Kosovo.

The EU’s support in this endeavour has been constant since 1999 and will continue. With this in mind, I wish everyone in Kosovo a New Year marked by peace, stability, and tangible progress that benefits all its people.

Democracy in Action: Elections in line with democratic standards (media)

Democracy in Action, a network of NGOs that monitor elections, said in a press conference on Tuesday that the early parliamentary elections on December 28 were conducted in line with democratic standards, a peaceful atmosphere and without any serious incidents.

DiA representative Eugen Cakolli said that the election campaign was held in a peaceful atmosphere but that it was personalized and centered around the leaders of political parties. 

Osmani hosts members of the Advisory Council for Communities (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani hosted on Tuesday members of the Advisory Council for Communities. “Kosovo is built together, with all its citizens and we have a shared responsibility for the future of the country. This meeting is not only an end-of-year calendar note, but also a moment to reconfirm what keeps all of us united as a society: faith in our state, respect for human dignity and the commitment for equality not to remain only a written principle but an everyday reality for every citizen of the Republic of Kosovo, without any difference,” Osmani said in a Facebook post.

Kosovo in 2025: Wartime sexual abuse stigma challenged in public (BIRN)

For the first time since the 1998-99 Kosovo war, a Kosovo Albanian man spoke publicly about the sexual violence he was subjected to by Serbian fighters.

Silence was broken and history made in 2025 in Kosovo, when Ramadan Nishori spoke publicly of how he was sexually abused during the 1998-99 war.

“I am a man, a father of three who is trying to live a normal life,” Nishori told an audience at the Kino Armata community centre in the capital, Pristina, on April 14, the national day of survivors of wartime sexual violence.

“I want people to see me as a person who has been through a lot and has struggled a lot. I want them to see me with respect, as a person who fought to survive. I have fallen many times and I have stood up again.”

Nishori, who was 21 when he was abused by Serbian forces, said he had chosen to speak out “so I don’t remain a prisoner of the past”.

“The shame is not ours,” he said. “The shame is theirs.”

Thousands of people are estimated to have been sexually abused during the war, when Serbian forces committed widespread atrocities against Kosovo Albanian civilians while trying to quash a guerrilla insurgency in what was then a southern province of Serbia.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/kmmb9u8w