Kosovo could be pushed into new snap elections automatically if the Assembly is not constituted and a president is not elected by March 5, 2026, experts warn, as the vote recount process continues to delay the certification of results from the December 28 parliamentary elections.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) decided on Monday to initiate a recount in 914 polling stations out of a total of 2,557, following irregularities identified during the verification of candidate votes in 2% of polling stations. The decision was approved with nine votes in favor and two abstentions.
According to the CEC, on January 10, its Secretariat reviewed video recordings from vote-counting tables at Municipal Counting Centers and identified discrepancies between recorded and actual ballots. As a result, an internal verification was conducted in 52 polling stations nationwide, of which 33 had been verified by January 12. The findings showed that candidate vote counts did not match the ballots, prompting the large-scale recount.
Under the decision, 100% of polling stations will be recounted in 10 municipalities — Dragash, Kaçanik, Leposaviq, Prizren, Skenderaj, Shtime, Ferizaj, Vushtrri, Mamushë, and Ranillug. In the remaining 28 municipalities, 10% of polling stations will undergo recounts, including Prishtina, Peja, Gjakova, Gjilan, Mitrovica South and North, Lipjan, Podujeva, and others.
While the CEC had indicated readiness to certify results last week, the recount decision has significantly delayed the process, making it unlikely that certification will occur before the end of January.
Election expert Eugen Cakolli from the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) warned that the delays could have serious constitutional consequences.
“With more than one-third of polling stations undergoing recounts, it is almost certain that results will not be certified until late January at the earliest,” Cakolli said.
He cautioned that additional irregularities could trigger further recounts, extending the process beyond critical deadlines.
“If results are not certified and the Assembly is not constituted by March 5, the country faces a very high risk of automatically entering new early parliamentary elections,” he added.
According to Kosovo’s constitutional framework, failure to elect a president by March 5 would trigger automatic elections, a scenario Cakolli described as the worst possible outcome.
“Without a new government and without the adoption of the state budget, no payments — including salaries, pensions, or social benefits — could be made from the state treasury from March onward,” he warned, noting that such a freeze could last at least two months after potential new elections.
Kosovo has already been governed by caretaker institutions for nearly a year, following inconclusive national elections held in February 2025, which failed to produce stable governing structures. These prolonged delays have negatively affected nearly all sectors, including access to European Union funds.
In the December 28 snap elections, Vetëvendosje emerged as the leading party with 51.11%, followed by PDK with 20.19%, LDK with 13.23%, and AAK with 5%.
As recounts continue, political uncertainty remains high, with March 5 now viewed as a decisive constitutional deadline for Kosovo’s institutional future.
