Securing international financing and reforming the health and education systems are the new government’s top priorities.
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Published February 12, 2026
Kosovo’s parliament has approved a new government led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti after more than a year of political deadlock amid continuing tensions with Serbia.
Hours after parliament convened for the first time since Prime Minister Kurti’s Vetevendosje party won a snap election in December, 120 lawmakers voted 66-49 on Wednesday to back Kurti’s government.
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Kurti laid out his legislative agenda before the vote, citing increased economic and defense investment as key areas, with plans to invest 1 billion euros ($1.18 billion) in military purposes, including the production of combat drones.
“As we have all witnessed, over the last few years we have faced constant attacks and threats from Serbia,” Kurti said of Kosovo’s strained relations with its northern neighbor, which has never recognized independence since declaring independence in 2008 after a war in the late 1990s.
However, the prime minister, a former political prisoner, promised to pursue “normalization of relations” with Belgrade aimed at “bilateral external relations, not meddling or meddling in internal affairs.”
Although tensions remain high in northern Kosovo, where most of the ethnic Serb minority lives, normalizing relations is a key requirement for both countries’ stated ambitions to join the European Union.
Urgent issues after political stagnation
Thursday’s vote ended a long period of political stagnation following an inconclusive vote last February, when Kurti failed to win the majority needed to form a government.
The deeply divided lawmakers finally forced a mass vote in December, and Kurti’s party won with more than 51% of the vote, securing 57 seats.
However, it took several weeks for the results to be confirmed, as errors in the counting led to a full recount, a criminal investigation, and the arrest of more than 100 election workers.
Kurti, now recognized as Kosovo’s leader, has already signaled his intention to move quickly to approve important international loans to Kosovo, including from the EU.
The new government’s most pressing challenges also include approving the 2026 budget and reforming the health and education systems.
