Kosovo fails to elect new president, country heads for snap elections

The Kosovo Assembly failed to elect a new president within the constitutional deadline due to a lack of the required number of votes, which puts the country on the verge of snap parliamentary elections.

Only representatives of the ruling Self-Determination Movement and representatives of non-Serb minorities participated in the vote, who met four times during the day, but their 64 votes were not enough to elect a head of state, which requires a two-thirds majority of 120 representatives.

Assembly Speaker and Acting President Albulena Haxhiu said that invitations had been extended to opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo, but that they had refused to participate in the sessions.

In the coming days, Haxhiu is expected to call early parliamentary elections, which according to the Constitution must be held within 45 days.