Ruptly

Back to the ballot box - Northern Mitrovica residents vote in Kosovo’s third election in 18 months

"Residents of northern Mitrovica voted on Sunday as Kosovo held its third parliamentary election in under 18 months, amid prolonged political deadlock over the election of a new president. Footage shows voters lining up outside polling stations as election staff checked identification documents and processed registrations. People are later seen receiving ballot papers and casting their votes, while police maintained a visible presence outside the stations. The snap election was called after Kosovo’s political parties failed to agree on a successor to former president Vjosa Osmani within the constitutional deadline. Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Vetevendosje party won a clear victory in the previous election in December 2025, but lacked the parliamentary support required to elect a president. The vote took place against a backdrop of ongoing tension between Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority and the central authorities in Pristina. Northern Mitrovica is predominantly populated by ethnic Serbs and has become a flashpoint over policing, municipal government and Kosovo’s authority in the north. The Belgrade-backed Serb List returned to power in North Mitrovica and three other northern municipalities following the 2025 local elections, reversing the outcome of boycotted polls in 2023 that had installed ethnic Albanian mayors with extremely low turnout. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade continues to reject its statehood. Sunday’s election was intended to break the political stalemate and create a parliament capable of electing a new president and advancing stalled economic and European integration reforms."