Four candidates are running for Prime Minister as the ten- day election campaign started for the snap parliamentary elections in Kosovo on Wednesday.
Albin Kurti, the leader of Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) was not certified by the Central Election Commission (CEC) due to a suspended court sentence, but he remains party’s candidate for Prime Minister.
Kurti received 183, 952 votes in the 2019 elections, while his party secured 29 out of 120 seats in parliament. He was elected prime minister after striking a coalition deal with the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), but was soon voted out by the same party.
LDK’s prime ministerial candidate is the outgoing Prime Minister, Avdullah Hoti.
He won 26, 094 votes in 2019, and the LDK had 28 seats in parliament. Following the ousting of the Kurti government and the Constitutional Court ruling that new elections were not needed, Hoti became Prime Minister, owning to a coalition between the LDK, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Social Democratic Initiative (NISMA) and the Serb List.
The government led by Hoti was found unconstitutional in December, after less than six months in power, due to a decisive vote of an MP who was convicted when he voted.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has nominated Enver Hoxhaj as its candidate for Prime Minister, following the war crimes indictment against its former leader Kadri Veseli in November.
Enver Hoxhaj previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during 2011- 2014 and 2016- 2017, and Deputy Prime Minister during 2017- 2019.
He received 11,052 votes in the 2019 elections, while his party came third with 24 seats.
Fatmir Limaj is the leader of the Social Democratic Initiative (NISMA) party for Prime Minister. NISMA had four seats in parliament, together with the coalition partner New Kosovo Alliance (AKR). Limaj himself got 25, 918 votes.
Before establishing the party in 2014, Limaj was a leading figure in the PDK headed by former President Hashim Thaci. He served in Thaci’s government as Minister of Transport and Communications during 2008- 2010. He also served as deputy Prime Minister during 2017- 2019.
Limaj was charged with corruption but was acquitted in November 2017. He was also indicted for war crimes by several courts, including The International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, but was acquitted of all charges.
No Kosovo prime minister was able to complete a 4-year term since the end of the war in 1999.
Snap parliamentary elections will take place on February 14.
