Description: The leftwing Vevendosje or Self – Determination Movement Party has won the elections in Kosovo but failed to secure parliamentary majority as it looks to form a coalition with one of the remaining parties. Vevendosje won 41.99% of the votes, second on the election list was the Democratic League of Kosovo or LDK with 17.8% of the votes and third was the Alliance for Kosovo’s Future of former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj with 7.7% of the votes. The Serbian minority party Srpska Lista won 2.8% of the votes, doubling the results from four years ago. Kosovo’s new government is expected to face mounting pressure on finding resolution to the dispute with Serbia and the freezing of foreign funds which seized investments in the country.
Impact: With the reaffirmation of the ruling party, Kosovo would primarily seek to resolve the problem with the international funding seizure as the country is facing severe economic crisis. The ongoing disputes with Serbia although a priority won’t gain severe traction as Kosovo expects for a larger international involvement which is undermined by Serbia’s hard – line support and alignment with Russia. With political pressure mounting on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the dispute with Kosovo is currently deflating as Serbia could potentially face in the mid – term a political crisis of its own. Despite the enhanced KFOR presence in the region and constant diplomatic and political pressure the international involvement in the country’s primary problems is expected to remain significantly limited. The country is expected to enter weeks or months long coalition talks as clear political alliances haven’t been outlined as of yet.