Prolonged crisis has negatively affected Kosovo’s economy, already hit hard by the global energy crisis and rising fuel prices.

Voters in Kosovo headed to the polls for an early parliamentary election, the third in 18 months, in an attempt to unlock a political impasse in the small Balkan nation that is striving to join the European Union and NATO.

Sunday’s ballot was scheduled after the main political parties failed to agree by a March deadline on who should replace former President Vjosa Osmani. The first inconclusive election in February 2025 left the country without a functioning government for much of last year, forcing a second election in December.

The prolonged crisis has negatively affected Kosovo’s economy, already hit hard by the global energy crisis and rising fuel prices. One of the youngest and poorest countries in Europe, it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a 1998-99 war, which ended in a NATO bombing campaign that forced Serbia to withdraw.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s centre-left Vetevendosje party has held a clear parliamentary majority since the early election in December. But Kosovo’s president is elected by at least 80 lawmakers in the 120-member assembly, requiring a broader political consensus.

Kurti is being challenged by the two main opposition parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo, which have accused him of seeking to impose full control over all political institutions in the country.

Former President Osmani is running on the opposition LDK list in the election, having turned against Kurti after he refused to back her for a second term in office.

While the key players have blamed each other for the crisis, their inability to reach a compromise has led to disappointment among Kosovo’s about two million voters, who want the government to focus on the economy and living standards instead.

Analysts still do not expect major changes in the election outcome compared to the previous vote in December.

The institutional vacuum, without a stable government, has delayed access to the EU and other international funds available to the country.

European Council President Antonio Costa urged Kosovo during a visit last week to end the political impasse and unite over the goal of EU integration.

Kosovo has been recognised by the United States and most EU countries, but not by Serbia and its allies, Russia and China.

Tensions remain high in Kosovo’s north, where most of the ethnic Serbian minority live, but both Pristina and Belgrade have been told they must mend relations to move forward with their EU membership bids.