Kosovo voters head back to polls after parties fail to agree on president

Jun 7, 2026 2:05 PM EDT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Voters in Kosovo headed to the polls Sunday for an early parliamentary election, the third in less than 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 declared independence from Serbia in 2008, after a 1998-99 war that ended in a NATO bombing that forced Serbia to withdraw.

READ MORE: Preliminary results show Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti's party won snap vote with clear margin