Kosovo heads to election clouded by tensions with Serbia

9/2/2025 15:41

Polls opened in Kosovo on Sunday after a combative election campaign in which opposition candidates clashed with Prime Minister Albin Kurti over the economy, corruption and relations with the country's old foe and neighbour Serbia.



Kurti, a leftist and Albanian nationalist, came to power in the small Balkan country in 2021 when a coalition run by his Vetevendosje party received more than 50% of votes and secured a seven-seat majority in the 120-seat parliament.



Political analysts say his popularity has been bolstered by moves to extend government control in Kosovo's ethnic Serb-majority north. But critics say he has failed to deliver on education and health, and his policies in the north have distanced the country from its traditional allies, the European Union and the United States.



The EU placed economic curbs on the country in 2023 for its role in stoking tensions with ethnic Serbs, cutting at least 150 million euros ($155 million) in funding, Reuters has found.