Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Liza Gashi, a member of VV, told POLITICO, “Once again, the opposition chose obstruction over responsibility, blocking the will of the majority and preventing Kosovo from moving forward.”
Kurti offered to step aside, allowing his VV colleague, Glauk Konjufca, speaker of the Assembly, to take the role of prime minister. Kurti proposed to serve as deputy PM and foreign minister instead, after failing to form a government on October 26.
In a final attempt, President Osmani granted Konjufca the mandate to propose a Cabinet, which he presented to MPs on Wednesday. However, Konjufca’s proposal received only 56 votes in the 120-seat Assembly, falling short of the 61 required.
Kosovo, having applied for EU membership in 2022, remains a potential candidate, with five member countries still not recognizing it. The unresolved, EU-mediated dialogue with Serbia has left Pristina’s accession prospects effectively frozen.
“The reality right now is we don’t even have our application looked at,” Osmani told POLITICO in a recent interview. “It’s somewhere in the drawers of the European Union, but it’s not moving forward.”
The EU and the U.S. have imposed political sanctions on Kosovo following tensions in the northern part of the country where the Serb-minority resides, after Kurti installed Albanian mayors, which was largely seen as provocative.
A Commission spokesperson said, “The EU is aware of Wednesday’s developments in the Kosovo Assembly and expresses regret over the failure of the political parties, which were unable to overcome the prolonged political deadlock following the February 2025 parliamentary elections.”
“The EU stands ready to work with Kosovo authorities and to continue supporting Kosovo on its path towards the EU,” the spokesperson added.
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