General Information
At stake in this election:
- 120 seats in the Assembly of Kosovo
Description of government structure:
- Chief of State: President Atifete JAHJAGA[1]
- Head of Government: Prime Minister Hashim THACI
- Assembly: Kosovo has a unicameral Assembly (Kuvendi i Kosovës/Skupština Kosova) with 120 seats.
Description of electoral system:
- The President is elected by parliament to serve a 5-year term.
- Prime Minister is elected by parliament.
- In the Assembly (Kuvendi i Kosovës/Skupština Kosova), 120 members are elected through an open-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms, of which 20 seats are guaranteed to political entities representing Kosovo's national minorities.[2]
Election Note:
- Elections had been widely expected to be held in late 2014 as the Assembly’s term of office was due to expire in February 2015. However, on 7 May 2014 the Assembly voted 90-4 to dissolve itself due to an impasse on several issues before the legislature, including the creation of a Kosovo Armed Force. Snap elections are mandated to take place within 45 days of the Assembly’s dissolution and have been scheduled for 8 June.
Political entities in this electoral race:[3]
- Egyptian Liberal Party / Partia Liberale Egjiptiane (PLE)
- Leader: Isuf BERISHA
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Party
- Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo / Partia Demokratike e Ashkanlive të Kosovës (PDAK)
- Leader: Danush ADEMI
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 1
- Progressive Democratic Party / Progresivna Demokratska Stranka (PDS)
- Leader: Nenad RAŠIĆ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Party
- United Roma Party of Kosovo / Partia Rome e Bashkuar e Kosovës (PREBK)
- Leader: Zylfi MERXHA
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 1
- Self-Determination / Lëvizja Vetëvendosje!
- Leader: Albin KURTI
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 14
- Vakat Coalition / Koalicija Vakat (VAKAT)
- Leader: Dzezair MURATI
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 2
- The Strong Party / Partia e Fortë (PF)
- Leader: Visar ARIFAJ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Party
- Serbian List / Srpska Lista
- Leader: Aleksandar JABLANOVIĆ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Citizens’ Initiative Group
- Movement for Democratic Prosperity / Pokret za Demokratski Prosperitet (PDP)
- Leader: Dragiša MIRIĆ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Coalition
- New Kosovo Alliance / Aleanca Kosova e Re (AKR)
- Leader: Behgjet PACOLLI
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 8
- Social Democrats / Socialdemokratija (SD)
- Leader: Saša ÐOKIĆ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: N/A[4]
- Kosovar New Romani Party / Kosovaki Nevi Romani Partia (KNRP)
- Leader: Jollxhi SHALA
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Party
- A Single Bosnian List / Bošnjacka Jedinsvena Lista``
- Leader: Alma DESTANOVIĆ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Citizens’ Initiative Group
- Alliance for the Future of Kosovo / Aleanca për Ardhmërinë e Kosovës (AAK)
- Leader: Ramush HARADINAJ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 12
- Independent Candidate Hasan GASHI
- New Democratic Party / Nova Demokratska Stranka (NDS)
- Leader: Emilija REDŽEPI
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 1
- New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo / Iniciative e re Demokrarike e Kosovës (IRDK)
- Leader: Xhevdet NEZIRAJ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 1
- Coalition for Gora / Koalicija Za Gora (KZG)
- Leader: Adem HODŽA
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Coalition[5]
- Ashkali Party for Integration / Partia e Ashkalinjeve për Integrim (PAI)
- Leader: Etem ARIFI
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 1
- Party of Democratic Action / Stranka Demokratske Akcije (SDA)
- Leader: Numan BALIĆ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 0
- Center Democratic Union / Centar Demokratske Unije (CDU)
- Leader: Hamza BALJE
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Party
- Kosovo Turkish Justice Party / Kosova Türk Adalet Partisi (KTAP)
- Leader: Arif BÜTÜC
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Party
- Bosniak Party of Democratic Action of Kosovo / Bošnjacka Stranka Demokratske Akcije Kosovo (BSDAK)
- Leader: Hilmo KANDIĆ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 1
- Democratic League of Kosovo / Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës (LDK)
- Leader: Isa MUSTAFA
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 27
- Movement for Gora / Pokret za Gora
- Leader: Avnija BAHTIJARI
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: New Citizens’ Initiative Group
- Independent Liberal Party / Samostalna Liberalna Stranka (SLS)
- Leader: Slobodan PETROVIĆ
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 8
- Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo / Kosova Demokratik Türk Partisi (KDTP)
- Leader: Mahir YAĞCILAR
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 3
- Coalition: Democratic Party of Kosovo / Partia Demokratike e Kosovës (PDK), Justice Party / Partia e Drejtësisë (PD) [6], Movement for Unification / Lëvizja për Bashkim (LB) [7], Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo / Partia Shqiptare Demkristiane e Kosovës (PSHDK), Conservative Party of Kosovo / Partia Konservatore e Kosovës (PK)
- Leader: Hashim THACI
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 34[8]
- Initiative for Kosovo / Nisma për Kosovën
- Leader: Fatmir LIMAJ
- Seats won in last election: New Citizens Initiative Group
- Traditional Albanian Movement / Lëvizja Grupimi Tradicional Shqiptar
- Leader: Salih SALIHU
- Seats won in last election: New Citizens’ Initiative Group
Last election:
- The last election to the Assembly of Kosovo was held on 12 December 2010. When President Fatmir SEJDIU resigned in September 2010, an election was called for February 2011. However, when the former president’s Democratic League of Kosovo / Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës (LDK) withdrew from the ruling coalition on 18 October 2010, the coalition collapsed and snap elections were scheduled for 12 December. Amid allegations of fraud and evidence of irregularities, the elections were re-held at 21 polling stations in 5 municipalities on 9 January 2011. The ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo / Partia Demokratike e Kosovës (PDK) was returned to power, forming a government with the New Kosovo Alliance / Aleanca Kosova e Re (AKR), the Independent Liberal Party / Samostalna Liberalna Stranka (SLS) and several other minority parties. Results can be found here.
Population and Voter Registration:
- Population: 1,859,203 (2014 est.)
- Registered Voters: 1,782,454 (May 2014)
[1] President Behgjet PACOLLI resigned following a ruling by the constitutional court that the two-thirds quorum required to elect a president had not been attained during the first two rounds of parliamentary voting as required by the constitution. JAHJAGA was nominated as a consensus candidate.
[2] , There is a 30 percent female quota under which one in every three candidates on each candidate list must be female, and elected representatives must comprise at least 30% women. Electors may vote for up to five individual candidates within the list they choose. Of the seats reserved for minority communities, 10 are reserved for the Serbian community, and 10 are reserved for other minority communities.
[3] Political entities include political parties, citizens’ initiative groups, coalitions and independent candidates. They are listed in order of the number they received in the May 23 draw for placement on the ballot.
[4] The Social Democrats ran as part of the Unified Serb List coalition in 2010, which won 4 seats
[5] Civic Initiative of Gora (GIG) which is a member of this coalition, won 1 seat in 2010.
[6] The Justice Party ran as part of the New Kosovo Coalition / Koalicioni Kosova e Re in 2010.
[7] The Movement for Unification ran as part of the Self-Determination movement / Vetëvendosje in 2010.
[8] The Democratic Party of Kosovo ran as a single party in 2010 to win these seats.