Kosovo’s Democracy Is Being Hijacked

A silent coup unfolds in Kosovo: entrenched warlords sabotage reform, paralyse parliament, and threaten the fragile democracy built after war.

In a country still grappling with the ghosts of its war-torn past, Kosovo stands today at a historic crossroads. The paralysis of its Parliament, now dragging into its third consecutive month since the February 2025 elections, is more than a procedural delay¹. It is the unfolding of a battle for the soul of a fragile democracy caught between reform and regression, transparency and entrenched corruption, sovereignty and foreign subversion².

At the heart of the impasse lies the refusal of opposition MPs to allow the constitutional formation of Kosovo’s new legislature. With 35 failed attempts to elect the Speaker of Parliament and fulfil the constitutional mandate to form government, the new legislature remains in limbo. Yet this boycott is not born of democratic dissent. It is a calculated obstruction, executed by political actors tethered to the country’s corrupt past-warlords-turned-politicians, whose decades-long grip on Kosovo’s institutions is now directly challenged by Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his reformist agenda³.

Kurti, who swept into power on a platform of anti-corruption, justice reform, and sovereignty, has emerged as a rare Balkan figure, one willing to use the full weight of state authority not to capture institutions, but to cleanse them. His landmark initiative, the Law on Confiscation of Unjustified Wealth, targets precisely the untouchable elite that has looted Kosovo’s coffers since NATO bombs silenced Serbian artillery in 1999. Despite fierce resistance, the law passed. The opposition, sensing existential peril, immediately challenged it in the Constitutional Court⁴. They failed.

More than legislative sabotage, the opposition has sought to strip the Kurti government of its right to defend Kosovo’s territorial integrity. When Serbian-backed militants operating under Kremlin-inspired tactics reminiscent of Crimea moved to destabilise northern Kosovo on Sept 24, 2023, Kurti’s government acted decisively, deploying security forces to repel the incursion. For this, the opposition accused him of authoritarianism.

But the prime minister’s actions were rooted in legality and necessity. What followed was not just a defence of Kosovo’s borders, but a dismantling of Belgrade’s parallel structures⁵ that had long functioned as shadow governments in Kosovo’s north. Serbian banks were shut down. The Serbian dinar was replaced by Kosovo’s euro. Belgrade’s puppet municipalities were dismantled. These moves, bold and overdue, broke the spine of Serbia’s illicit influence in the region.

Now, as opposition MPs hold hostage the constitutional mandate to form Kosovo’s legislature, the Constitutional Court has ruled unambiguously. In its June 26th judgment⁶, the Court declared that the Constituent Session initiated on April 15th has not fulfilled its constitutional obligation due to the failure to elect the Speaker and Deputy Speakers. Citing Articles 66 and 67 of the Constitution, the Court ordered that this deadlock be resolved within 30 days, affirming that Kosovo’s democracy must be allowed to function, and that obstructionism cannot be permitted to hijack the will of the people.

The stakes are not merely procedural. At risk is the future of a democratic republic that has been painstakingly built atop the ruins of genocide and foreign occupation. What is playing out in Pristina today is not simply a partisan feud. It is a confrontation between two Kosovos, one that yearns for justice, dignity, and self-governance; and another that clings to impunity, theft, and the old games of geopolitical subservience.

Albin Kurti may not be a flawless figure. But in an era where reformers are often derailed by entrenched power structures, he stands out for his refusal to retreat. The international community must now speak clearly: Kosovo’s democratic mandate must be honoured, its institutions respected, and its right to sovereignty unassailable. The paralysis must end, not to serve one party’s ambition, but to fulfil the promise made to every citizen when they cast their votes this February. In Kosovo today, the battle for parliament is a battle for the republic itself.

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1. Deputetët nuk i japin fund ngërçit në Kuvend as në tentimin e 35-të — KOHA Ditore.

2. The Disinformation War on Kosovo

If the weapons buried in Vallaq are the physical embodiment of Serbia’s clandestine war on Kosovo’s sovereignty, then Berat Buzhala’s rhetoric is its ideological camouflage. — The GPC Media Watch.

3. How to Topple a Reformer Without Firing a Shot

Kosovo’s Prime Minister resigned to follow the law. His enemies used it to break the system. In the void, a coup bloomed quiet, legal, lethal. — The GPC.

4. Kosovo Court Shields Corrupt Politicians, Blocks Anti-Corruption Law

Kosovo's Constitutional Court ruling shields corrupt politicians, halting the anti-corruption bureau law, and betrays public trust by enabling continued looting of the country's resources. — The GPC.

5. Serbia's Parallel Structures Fall in Kosovo

Kosovo ends Serbia's shadow governance, enforcing its sovereignty. The world hesitates, will principles of statehood prevail, or does appeasing Belgrade continue to trump international law? — The GPC Balkan Watch.

6. Kosovo’s Constitutional Court Judgement KO124/25 — Kallxo.com