Sunday’s election results were a political earthquake that will resonate beyond the formation of the next government. The electorate have exhibited a refusal to surrender to the blackmail and nepotism that have been endemic in Kosovar politics for the last 20 years, writes Eraldin Fazliu in an opinion piece.
He says Vetevendosje’s victory in yesterday’s elections may have come as a surprise to many as Kosovo is not known for voting out those in power and Vetevendosje have only been competing in elections for the last nine years. And as the final results are yet to be announced, “Vetevendosje’s persistence looks set to send the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, into opposition for the first time in independent Kosovo.”
“PDK, perhaps more than any other party, has become a byword for a political culture of corruption, nepotism, and misuse of power for personal gain,” Fazliu writes adding that the likely failure of the NISMA and AKR coalition to win seats at the Assembly also is an indicator of the punitive vote of the Kosovo voters for parties that have used power to increase their wealth.
“The people have spoken. No form of power is more important than the will of people, while the fate of those that abuse the state is now well known. Kosovo’s domestic ills mean neither Vetevendosje nor any other party can afford to continue to rule in their own interests, rather than the interests of the people,” Fazliu writes.
