Kurti Is Kosovo's Prime Minister Once Again

On Sunday, the Kosovo parliament re-elected Albin Kurti as prime minister after his party won the June elections, but the failure to elect a president could send the country into another round of early elections. Kurti was elected with 62 votes in the 120-member parliament.

In late August, Kurti reached an agreement with the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), which has 18 lawmakers, to support law professor Bekim Sejdiu as the new president. A day later, six LDK lawmakers announced that they would not respect their leader's decision.

It is not yet clear when the presidential election will take place. If parliament fails to elect a new president, Kosovo will have to hold another snap election, the fourth in the last two years.

Kosovo, one of the poorest countries in Europe, is seeking to join the European Union, but Brussels has repeatedly stated that the country needs stable institutions capable of implementing the reforms necessary for membership.

(Reuters, su)