Eight Albanian political parties from Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa are running on a joint electoral list, the “Albanian Coalition,” in Serbia’s early parliamentary elections being held on Sunday, October 25, with the aim of increasing their representation in parliament, Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) reports.
After years of divisions and rivalry, the parties united with the mediation of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. They aim to win three seats in Serbia’s National Assembly, where the Albanian community had only one representative in the previous parliamentary term.
Ahead of the elections, Kurti and Kosovo President Justina Shiroka Pula called on Albanians from these municipalities who live in Kosovo and are eligible to vote to travel to their hometowns and cast their ballots.
In a message published on October 24, Kurti explicitly called for support for the “Albanian Coalition,” which appears as number 17 on the ballot.
“Discrimination, exclusion and oppression require a firm democratic response. Through solidarity. Through perseverance. Through participation,” he said.
Kurti added that Albanians from Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa have the right to build their lives in their homeland and enjoy equal opportunities.
In her appeal on October 24, Shiroka Pula also emphasised the importance of voter participation in strengthening the political representation of Albanians.
“Unity is the key to stronger political representation. Therefore, together on the list and together at the ballot box. For more Albanian representatives in the Parliament of Serbia,” she said.
According to Serbia’s 2022 census, more than 60,000 Albanians live in the country.
From Political Divisions to a Joint List
In a statement to Radio Free Europe published on October 1, Visar Memeti, leader of the Alternative for Change party, said the agreement to unite the parties was reached at their second meeting, thanks to Kurti’s mediation.
“In 2020, we had three MPs. We subsequently split, and the result was one MP. Our goal now is to win three seats again; this would significantly strengthen our position in the Serbian parliament,” Memeti said.
Shaip Kamberi, leader of the Party for Democratic Action and the sole representative of the Albanian community in the previous parliamentary term, told RFE/RL that the parties had held opposing positions on electoral participation, their demands and joint political action.
According to Kamberi, these differences were overcome through the mediation and advice of Kosovo’s prime minister.
“The parties that participated independently in the 2022/2023 elections, outside our list, which represented the majority, saw that winning a seat without uniting was difficult. Now, it seems they have understood this, and we have reached this result,” Kamberi said.
Kamberi and Memeti said they had also agreed to cooperate after the elections. Memeti stated that the decision on whether to support the next government or remain in opposition would be made after the vote.
An earlier attempt to unite Albanian political parties was made in 2020 at the initiative of the Albanian government in Tirana, but one of the parties declined to join the joint list.
Republican Congressman Keith Self and Shaip Kamberi, an Albanian representative in the Serbian parliament. Preševo, May 26, 2026.
