For two decades, Kosovo was ruled almost exclusively by the former warlords of the Kosovar Liberation Army (KLA). They are corrupt, have sent their families and friends clans to posts, and are suspected of committing serious war crimes. Under their rule, nepotism and organized crime flourished, while many people fled the country in the face of bitter poverty and lack of prospects.
Now a change of epoch is announced in Kosovo. In the early parliamentary election on Sunday won the left opposition party Vetevendosje (self-determination) of the former student leader Albin Kurti. He will probably be next head of government. The 44-year-old, who was once a political prisoner in Serbia and was mistreated while in detention, has been a relentless critic of the political establishment in his homeland for years. He enjoys a great reputation in the population, because he is considered inflexible and incorruptible. And he promises Kosovo's radical transformation towards the rule of law, good governance and socially responsible living conditions.
Politicians and commentators of independent media in Kosovo have already hailed the election result as a "political earthquake". Kurti himself wrote on his Facebook page: "The citizens have prevented the Kosovar drama of a state in hostage taking a tragic end."
Actually, Vetevendosje has long been the strongest political force in the country. However, it has so far remained excluded from participating in power. Not only was the political establishment threatened by the party's reform agenda. The representatives of the international community in Kosovo boycotted Kurti as a conversation partner, among other things, because he was considered a troublemaker. He and his party members often organized violent street and parliamentary protests in the past for a state association with Albania.
Politrebell suggests more moderate tones
But for some years, the former Politrebell strives for more compatibility - especially in style, but also in terms of content. Vetevendosje violently no longer occurs, Kurti no longer propagates a union with Greater Albania as a concrete political project, instead he prefers to speak of "a nation in two states" and the long-term possibility of growing together. Conversely, representatives of the international community in Kosovo have realized that the ruling UCK "war coalitioners" have brought the country to a dead end and that Vetevendosje as a political factor can not be ignored in the long run.
Kurti are now facing difficult coalition negotiations with the second-placed party, the conservative Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) of the late 2006 founder Ibrahim Rugova. Although LDK's top candidate Vjosa Osmani is also considered an integrity politician. But parts of their party belong even to the compromised establishment.
Dialogue on dialogue with Serbia
With Kurti as head of government, Kosovo is facing exciting times. It will be interesting to see how he turns up the matted state administration, wants to fight corruption and wants to enable the impoverished country to have a better social policy. He appears with anti-colonial self-confidence vis-à-vis the foreign powers, who in his opinion are too concerned with the corrupt elite.
The relationship with Serbia could be even more stormy than before. Kurti seeks an intra-Kosovar "civil dialogue on dialogue with Serbia" before the bilateral talks are resumed. A government participation of Belgrade-controlled "Serbian list" of Kosovo rejects Kurti, he wants to work instead with independent Serbian politicians. It remains to be seen whether Kurti will signal the frequent attacks on Serbs in Kosovo and their marginalization.
However, the Kosovo parliamentary election on Sunday has already had one effect: after the "Colorful Revolution" in Macedonia in 2016, it sends another strong signal to the entire Western Balkans - and also to the European Union. It is a signal that most voters are tired of their corrupt rulers, who for years have been considered Brussels' supposedly good partners. At the beginning of the year tens of thousands took to the streets in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia - unsuccessfully. Kosovo was not part of this short "Spring in the Balkans". But now its citizens have simply voted against corruption and autocracy.
