Kosovo - August 2025

The failure to formally inaugurate Parliament has left the institution’s work paralyzed since the February elections, triggering an institutional crisis and leaving the government in a caretaker role without a full constitutional mandate. In August, after 57 parliamentary sessions and two Constitutional Court rulings, the Assembly Speaker was finally elected. However, the deadlock continued, as the constitutionally guaranteed position of the Serb Deputy Speaker failed to secure votes in the three rounds. A fourth attempt to renominate the same candidate was blocked by the Assembly Speaker, citing the Court’s ruling prohibiting more than three nominations of the same candidate. The resulting institutional vacuum has stalled legislative functioning, delayed reforms and disrupted some basic public services. For example, the budget transfer to the public broadcaster RTK was blocked, leaving 700 employees unpaid, prompting protests and forcing RTK to secure EUR 2.54 million loan from the Ministry of Finance.

Sources: ConstitutionNet, Balkan Insight (1), Balkan Insight (2), Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo, European Western Balkans, International Federation of Journalists