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The reasons behind the Osmani - Kurti split

2026-03-12 19:58:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The famous expression that "something happened and the rest is history" does not apply to the developments of recent days in Kosovo.

Although it had been rumored for weeks that President Vjosa Osmani did not enjoy the support of Prime Minister Albin Kurti for a second term, in public, nothing of the sort was reflected by the two of them.

At least not until Kurti's party, the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV), presented two other candidates for president on March 5, and Osmani issued a decree the next day to dissolve the Kosovo Assembly.

The new president was not elected due to a lack of quorum, while the LVV said that Osman's decree was unconstitutional, and took the case to the Constitutional Court. As a result, both the decree and the work of the Assembly were paralyzed until March 31.

Meanwhile, public interest in all that happened and could happen is growing.

Why did Osmani and Kurti split? All the details may never come to light, but some signals are readable.

President Osmani said in an interview with Syri TV on Monday that the increased partnership between Kosovo and the current US administration should be seen as a success, not an obstacle.

Kosovo sees the US as its main ally, and its support was vital in both declaring independence and forming institutions. However, it is no secret that Kurti has strained relations with American authorities on several occasions.

Radio Free Europe requested a comment from the Kosovo Government on whether Osman's close relations with the US may have hindered Kurti, and what exactly happened between them, but did not receive a response.

Political analyst Agon Maliqi tells Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) that Osmani may not have said everything, due to the fact that she is still in office, but he believes that she owes public opinion an explanation for this statement.

"Historically, the United States has had a difficult time building a cooperative relationship with Prime Minister Kurti, a productive relationship built on trust. However, there has been cooperation in certain areas with the Government, in defense, in security, in the economy, but I believe that there is a kind of doubt in the possibility of building a productive partnership."

US-Kurti relations

During Kurti's second term, American authorities publicly stated several times that Kosovo did not treat the US as a partner, and that certain government decisions affected the quality of relations between the two countries.

The US also suspended the Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo, before it had even begun. The decision was widely interpreted as a signal of distancing itself from Kurti.

The prime minister himself said on occasion that he had not broken with America, but that he had differences with it on some issues.

President Osmani, on the other hand, was invited to and met with important figures in the US administration in Washington, and whenever the situation became tense, she reiterated the importance of maintaining relations with the key ally.

Maliqi sees the potential for Osman's recent statements to become problematic in relations with the US in the future.

"If they [the Americans] don't find someone in Kosovo's institutions, whether in the Government or in the Presidency, who they see as a reliable partner, then this relationship cannot produce as much as it could."

Visar Ymeri, director of the "Musine Kokalari" Institute, also mentioned a few days ago to REL that it is precisely Osman's relations with the US that, in Kurti's eyes, are seen as the lack of loyalty he is seeking.

Osmani revealed during the March 9 interview that there was no communication or coordination with Kurti when she left for Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, to represent the country at the establishment of the Peace Board - an initiative of US President Donald Trump to end conflicts around the world.

According to her, although Kurti was there, American authorities asked her to attend the inauguration ceremony, and despite all efforts, the president's staff was unable to speak with the prime minister's staff in advance.

How will the split affect the political scene?

Maliqi believes that there is an "Osmani effect" in the increase in the percentage of votes for the LVV in recent years. According to him, Osmani himself seems to see Kurti as a "debtor" in this regard, which is why he believes he can take back his political capital and take it somewhere else.

"It will have an effect, this does not leave LVV without a mark, because in 2021, the spirit that was produced, the mythology that was produced of victory, was shared, and it was Osmani who in a way collapsed the Democratic League of Kosovo and led the LDK voter [to LVV]."

In 2021, Kurti and Osmani, running on a joint list, won over 50 percent of the vote in the parliamentary elections and secured the best result ever for a political entity since Kosovo's independence.

On December 28, 2025, LVV achieved an even better result, but Maliqi believes that Osmani had a hand again, because "she publicly admitted that she had used the Presidency to help Kurti govern and win in the last elections."

According to Maliqi, early elections are inevitable this year - and the only dilemma is about the date when they will be held./ Rel