Prishtina, 27 October 2025
Full speech of the acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, at the press conference held today at the Government Building:
Dear citizens,
Distinguished journalists,
Yesterday, as we witnessed, the Assembly did not succeed in electing a new government. Despite exhaustive repeated attempts and our open and sincere willingness, the efforts to build a governing majority did not yield the result we aimed for. None of the parliamentary parties to whom we extended an invitation agreed to enter into a coalition government, even though the citizens’ vote this time clearly indicated that a coalition government was necessary.
We extended our invitation twice to the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and maintained continuous contact with NISMA. The LDK categorically rejected a government led by me, while NISMA ultimately refused to be part of a government under my leadership. Had these two parties reasoned differently and accepted our offer for cooperation, not only would we have had the necessary numbers to form the new government arising from the regular, free, and fair parliamentary elections of February 9 this year, but we would also have been in a position to resolve the issue of electing the President, which awaits us in just four months’ time.
Given the sentiment of the electorate of the Vetëvendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo, I tried hard to separate the LDK from the PDK. In 2020, we succeeded—but only for 51 days. We tried again, with the new leadership of the LDK, but without success. The only way the LDK was willing to join the government with us was if the PDK were also part of it. For us, this is unacceptable—because it is harmful.
The past four years of this mandate have shown that a government is stable not only when it has the numbers in the Assembly, but also when it has the numbers at the ballot box. The country’s interests are best protected and advanced when the Prime Minister and the government enjoy strong, direct legitimacy from the people.
I want to emphasize that both I and the Vetëvendosje Movement are interested in developing the state—not in holding onto power. Therefore, before any agreement that distorts the will of the people expressed through elections, we choose elections.
This is why, as we saw yesterday, the country now naturally heads toward new elections. It was not our preference. We have consistently fulfilled our obligations on time whenever required of us: when we immediately voted to establish the Commission for the Verification of Mandates; when we promptly proposed Albulena Haxhiu as Speaker of the Assembly; when we proposed the method of secret voting; when we replaced Albulena Haxhiu with other candidates until the current Speaker, Dimal Basha, was elected; and when Vetëvendosje Movement immediately sent my nomination to the President of the Republic to begin efforts to elect the government. Whenever deadlines approached, we never hesitated.
Now, however, we have entered the eighth month of the fifth year of our full four-year mandate. We did not anticipate this outcome, and certainly did not wish for it—but yesterday’s events only extend such a mandate.
During this caretaker period, we continue to perform our duties with full dedication and precision. Allow me to mention just a few of them:
We have laid the foundations for:
– The new kindergarten in Bardhosh, Prishtina (€1.17 million investment);
– The Primary School and kindergarten in the Bosniak neighborhood of North Mitrovica (an MESTI investment of over €4.1 million), and a new school in Fushë Kosovë as well;
– The new Pharmaceutical Depot in Fushë Kosovë, ensuring Kosovo finally has an adequate national depot after more than two decades;
– The new Family Health Center (QKMF) in Shtime and the new facility of the Institute for Special Education;
– The second semi-Olympic swimming pool in the country, in Podujevë;
– The Police Station in Zubin Potok;
– Affordable and Social Housing buildings in Pejë, Podujevë, Gjilan, and Istog — with 404 housing units under construction since we became a caretaker government;
– Two new bridges over the Ibër River in Mitrovica — one completed, the other under construction; and
– The City Stadium of Theranda/Suharekë, an €11 million investment by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
Meanwhile, we have inaugurated:
– The water treatment plant ensuring safe drinking water for 10,000 residents of Istog;
– The new Police Station for Border Surveillance in Izvor, Zveçan, just 2 km from the border with Serbia;
– The new Post Office of Kosovo in Leposaviq;
– The vehicle bridge over the Ibër River;
– Three new kindergartens in Fushë Kosovë, Shtime, and Kamenicë;
– The Vushtrri bypass towards Mitrovica;
– Construction works on the Zahaq–Klinë segment, and much more.
In addition:
– We increased maternity benefits from €170 to €325.9, and government-paid maternity leave from €223 to €319.5;
– We allocated an additional €100 for students of all levels and all accredited universities at the start of the new academic year;
– We operationalized the Joint Board of Mitrovica — resulting in the signing of a Cooperation Memorandum between the Ministry of Environment, the southern and northern municipalities of Mitrovica, for various infrastructure projects, including the two new bridges;
– We secured full membership in EQAR and the European Alliance for Practice-Based Learning;
– The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Compact Program continues;
– We hosted and participated in Defender Europe 2025 with nearly 1,000 Kosovo Security Force personnel — soldiers, officers, and NCOs;
– We acquired American Puma drones, U.S. armored vehicles, and thousands of Skydagger kamikaze combat drones;
– We signed the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum Agreement (CISMOA) between the Kosovo Security Force and the U.S. Army Europe Command (EUCOM) J6;
– We signed contracts for football stadiums: construction of the new Gjilan Stadium (works ongoing daily), full renovation of “Përparim Thaçi” Stadium in Prizren (7,800 seats, €13 million investment), and construction of the new Ferizaj Stadium (8,500 seats, €17 million investment).
Thus, as a caretaker government, we continue to fulfill our duties in accordance with the Constitution of our Republic and the laws in force. Naturally, we will remain in this caretaker capacity since, as of yesterday, we did not manage to become a government with full executive powers, as we had aimed.
I thank all the MPs who supported the formation of the new government. Among those who voted, there were not only Albanians, but also Bosniaks, Turks, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians — even Serbs. As a Prime Minister representing all, I received votes yesterday from all communities, in addition to the Albanian majority — namely, from Vetëvendosje in partnership with Guxo and Alternativa. I am deeply grateful to all of them, and to every single one, while also acknowledging, of course, the great support of the citizens of the Republic — their ongoing encouragement for our work, their understanding through our challenges, and their patience and attention.
Thank you.
