The second round of local elections in Kosovo was held on Sunday. Incumbent mayors were re-elected in the biggest cities, including Pristina, Prizren and Gjilan. The Serb List won the mayorship in the tenth Serb-majority municipality, having won nine in the first round.
The incumbent mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama, nominated by the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), was re-elected in the second round, winning a tight contest against Hajrulla Çeku from the Self-Determination Movement (LVV), the party of the caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
The second largest city of Prizren also saw a re-election of the incumbent Shaqir Totaj of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) against an LVV candidate.
On the other hand, the nominee of LVV Alban Hyseni managed to get re-elected in the city of Gjilan. LVV won three other mayoralties in the second round, including Mitrovica.
The results show a similar three-way split between the ruling LVV and opposition LDK and PDK, which was featured in the first round. Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) also managed to win five mayoralties in its traditional strongholds, including the city of Gjakovë.
The Belgrade-backed Serb List won the office of mayor in the municipality of Klokot, having previously won the other nine Serb-majority municipalities in the first round.
The local elections took place against the backdrop of political deadlock, during which neither party managed to form a majority in the parliament following the February 2025 parliamentary election. According to the interlocutors of EWB, an early parliamentary election is likely, but it is not a guarantee that the deadlock will be broken.
