In his capacity as President of Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova announced on December 23, 1997, the holding of new parliamentary and presidential elections for March 22, 1998. According to the Central Election Commission of Kosovo, the elections were organized across 29 electoral zones to elect a president and 130 members of parliament—100 through direct voting, while the remaining 30 seats were allocated proportionally.
The chairman of the Central Election Commission for the March 22, 1998 elections was appointed as judge Tadej Rodiqi.
According to the Commission, ten political parties, three associations, the Independent Lawyers Association, the Green Movement of Kosovo, and the Citizens’ League of Kosovo participated in the elections, along with three independent candidates for parliament—two from Deçan and one from Dragash. On March 19, 1998, Rugova called on citizens to participate massively in the elections.
In his appeal, Rugova emphasized that the March 22 elections held special historical, national, and state importance, strengthening democratic order, legitimizing leadership and institutions, and reinforcing Kosovo’s ties with international partners, particularly the United States and the European Union. He urged citizens to vote and called on institutions to ensure proper preparations for a successful electoral process.
However, the outcomes of these elections were never fully disclosed. It was never officially announced which candidates secured enough votes to become members of parliament, nor was a constitutive session ever held. As a result, neither a president nor a government was formally elected from this process.
