Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani dissolved the country's parliament on Friday, March 6, paving the way for snap elections after lawmakers failed to elect a new head of state by a constitutional deadline. The 120-seat Assembly had until midnight on Thursday, March 5, to choose Osmani's successor, whose term expires on April 5, but only 66 lawmakers showed up, short of the 80 required for a quorum under a 2014 Constitutional Court ruling.

The ruling Vetevendosje party, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, nominated Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca and later Fatmire Haxha Kollcaku, but opposition parties including the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo boycotted the session, insisting on a consensus, non-partisan candidate. Osmani described the failure as a "carefully calculated and planned" act by "irresponsible individuals" and said she was fulfilling her constitutional obligation by issuing the dissolution decree.

"A parliament that cannot elect a president cannot continue indefinitely to drag out the process," Osmani stated during a press conference. She urged political parties to agree on a snap election date soon, possibly within 30 to 45 days, to avoid further instability amid global tensions.

Kurti called the dissolution "unconstitutional," arguing the presidential election process had not advanced to three failed voting rounds as required by the constitution, and filed a request with the Constitutional Court to suspend the deadline. The court has yet to rule, leaving the election timeline uncertain. Opposition leader Lumir Abdixhiku of the LDK criticized Vetevendosje for rejecting consensus.

This marks the third parliamentary election in just over a year for Kosovo, Europe's youngest nation. A February 2025 vote produced no clear majority, leading to a snap election on December 28, 2025, where Vetevendosje secured a strong win and formed a government in February 2026 with minority allies. The repeated crises come as Kosovo seeks EU integration while facing tensions with Serbia, which does not recognize its 2008 independence.

Until a new parliament convenes, parliamentary speaker Albulena Haxhiu will serve as acting president after April 5. Osmani emphasized the need for maturity to strengthen Kosovo's democracy during this challenging period.