Kosovo is a failed state, sinking into political crisis - The rift with the West deepens

Kosovo's ruling Self-Determination party, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, failed to form a government in the nine months since the February elections, and now snap parliamentary elections will be held. Experts warn, according to Kommersant, that this may further exacerbate Kosovo's image, whose current leadership has already seriously damaged relations with the West.

The situation becomes more difficult as the term of Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani expires in April, and the parliament will need to elect the new president. If no candidate secures the required majority, the parliament will be dissolved again, and new elections will be called.

Kosovo projects itself internationally as a failed state

Kosovo appears on the international stage as a failed state due to the lack of political agreements that are crucial for democracy, said Albert Krasniqi, an expert at the non-profit organization Democracy Plus based in Pristina.

Experts believe that the most significant reason behind Kosovo's many problems is that Kurti has seriously worsened relations with the West. His government accelerated the replacement of Serbian license plates with Kosovan ones, banned the use of the Serbian dinar in northern Kosovo—an area primarily inhabited by Serbs—and closed branches of Serbian banks and other organizations.

Without questioning whether the measures were reasonable, the EU and the US intensely criticized Pristina for acting unilaterally, without consulting Western partners or reaching an agreement with Belgrade. All of this led to the cessation of the dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, a process the West was actively promoting.

EU sanctions and strict warnings from the US

Last year, the European Union imposed sanctions on Kosovo, reducing financial aid and halting high-level contacts with its leadership, apart from communications within the framework of the dialogue with Serbia.

Earlier, the US threatened for the first time since 2008—when Kosovo declared its independence—to cut "partnership relations" with Pristina.

The West is now watching the outcome of the snap elections with particular attention, which will determine whether Kosovo can emerge from its political crisis or if it will sink even deeper into it.

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