Political science professor Dritëro Arifi has assessed that the victory of the Vetëvendosje Movement in the elections should be attributed mainly to the vote within Kosovo, while he has criticized the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo for a lack of reflection after losses in three recent elections.
According to him, the diaspora's influence on election results is limited compared to the vote of citizens within the country.
Support the TIME. Preserve the truth.
Professional journalism is in the public interest. Your support helps it remain independent and credible. Contribute too. 1 euro makes a difference.
Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support Contribute"More dust has been created than is necessary. Battles are won in Kosovo and everything is decided in Kosovo. The diaspora can provide a small percentage, but without the votes of the locals, this great victory of VV would not have been possible. This victory goes to VV, but it is a big minus for the leadership of PDK and LDK because this does not make sense if they lose three races and there is no reflection on why these votes are like this," said Arifi.
He also commented on voter turnout and its impact on election results, saying that the increase in the percentages of some parties is related to the different number of voters compared to past elections.
"It is an increase in the percentage because the number of voters was not the same as in December. If it had been in this trend as on December 28, the percentage of all other opposition parties could have been even lower. Their unfortunate fate is that the number of voters was not very high. They did not vote for the opposition, they only abstained," he declared.
Arifi assessed that a part of the Vetëvendosje electorate has expressed dissatisfaction with the party's governance, by not going to the polls - where, according to him, LVV has lost votes.
"This shows that VV has been dissatisfied with the way they have governed. Of the promises they have made since 2021, almost none have been fulfilled in the full sense of the word. Therefore, those 100 thousand votes are a kind of flamethrower for VV who do not agree with the way they have governed. And it is a minus for the opposition that the dissatisfaction that has been created by VV's inability to produce positive policies has not managed to regain those votes," he said.
According to Arifi, the parties that were in opposition in the last legislature have failed to create a convincing alternative to Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Vetëvendosje.
"They saw surrender as an option, that's why they were penalized. The opposition does not have a strong leader like Kurti and the intimidation that has occurred from the LVV, sometimes unfounded attacks on some opposition exponents, they have in a way felt powerless to turn the game back in their favor. It's not that they haven't done things, but it's not enough," he said.