PRISTINA – On February 11, a new composition of the Kosovo parliament was constituted. It immediately elected a new government, which broke a long-standing political deadlock. The government, led by Albin Kurti, was approved by 66 votes, while 49 MPs voted against it, and there were no abstentions.
The results of the snap parliamentary elections, held on 28 December 2025, were officially confirmed two days before. Kurti’s party, the Self-Determination Movement (LVV), won more than 50% of the vote, which enabled it rule without a coalition partner, apart from the representatives of the national minority parties.
Albuena Haxhiu (LVV) was elected Speaker of the Parliament. She invited the candidate for Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, to present the composition of the government and its agenda to the MPs.
Kurti started his speech by saying that the election of the new government takes place amidst the trial against leaders of the former KLA: Hashim Thaçi, Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and Kadri Veseli.
According to Kurti, the prosecution’s request for a sentence of 45 years for each of them, including allegations of crimes against humanity, “is an attempt that contradicts the truth and denies the historical and political context of the liberation war”.
“The position of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo that I will lead is clear: crimes against humanity against the Albanian civilian population were committed in Kosovo, they were committed by the regime of Yugoslavia, of Serbia, under Milošević. It is well-documented and well-known internationally. The equalization between the leaders of the KLA and a genocidal regime is unsustainable, it is a factual and historical distortion”, he remarked.
Kurti then spoke about the achievements made in the last five years, highlighting economic growth.
“In the last five years, we have developed and built a fairer, stronger and more inclusive Kosovo. We have had the highest economic growth in the region despite the pandemic, the energy crisis and inflation,” Kurti said.
In addition, he listed a series of projects in justice, health, education, economy, infrastructure, agriculture, sports, defense, police, as well as some other areas “that will directly affect the lives of citizens”.
Specifically, he pledged to double child allowances and increase the average salary in the public sector to over 1,000 euros per month.
Kurti noted that judicial reforms will continue, announcing the establishment of a specialized prosecutor’s office for fighting crime and corruption.
Also, he announced that the munitions factory will be operational and will produce “Made in Kosovo” combat drones.
“In the next four years we will strengthen alliances, invest 1 billion euros in defense, recruit new soldiers, multiply the number of officers, functionalize the munitions factory, develop Kosovo’s military industry and produce ‘Made in Kosovo’ combat drones,” Kurti said.
Kurti also spoke about the normalisation of relations with Serbia.
“We will pursue the normalization of relations with Serbia through constructive dialogue, based on the Brussels Agreement and Implementation Annex, agreed in Ohrid. Normalization is a matter of regulating relations between the two states as an external relationship, not interference in internal affairs”, he claimed.
At the same time, Kurti states that the new government will try very hard to make Kosovo an EU candidate country and a member of NATO.
Kurti ended his speech by unveiling the members of the new cabinet, including Glauk Konjufca as First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Donika Gërvalla Schwarz as Minister of Justice, Nenad Rašić as Minister for Communities and Return.
At the first meeting of the new government, held on Thursday morning, several agreements were ratified, including the agreement with the EU, which makes Kosovo eligible to receive more than 800 million euros from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, as well as several agreements with the World Bank, totalling over 120 million euros.
In addition, the 2026 budget, amounting to 4 billion euros, was adopted.
The EU calls for Kosovo to “unlock” financial support
Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, congratulated Kurti on the formation of the new government.
“After more than a year of political deadlock, the formation of Kosovo’s new government is encouraging news. Congratulations Albin Kurti! What matters now that it moves swiftly on reforms. This is the fastest way to unlock EU support worth hundreds of millions of euros and have progress on its EU path. This is a new momentum to advance on EU-Kosovo relations and the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. I am ready to host a high-level meeting soon”, she wrote on X.
Similarly, Riho Terras, European Parliament’s Rapporteur for Kosovo, stated that “the political paralysis is finally over”.
“A functioning government is essential to advance on the EU path and unlock much-needed financial support. Kosovo belongs to the EU family”, he noted.
