PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Voters in Kosovo headed to the polls Sunday for an early parliamentary election, the third in less than 18 months, in an attempt to unlock a political impasse in the small Balkan nation that is striving to join the European Union and NATO.
Sunday's ballot was scheduled after the main political parties failed to agree by a March deadline on who should replace former President Vjosa Osmani. The first inconclusive election in February 2025 left the country without a functioning government for much of last year, forcing a second election in December.
Click to Gallery
People wait in line at a polling station for an early parliamentary election, the third in 18 months, in the northern Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dejan Simicevic)
A man votes during parliamentary election in Kosovo capital Pristina, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Kosovo's former president Vjosa Osmani votes during parliamentary election in Kosovo capital Pristina, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Blerim Berisha)
Kosovo's acting Prime Minister and Vetevendosje party leader Albin Kurti votes during parliamentary election in Kosovo capital Pristina, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People wait at a bus station displaying election posters in capital Pristina, Kosovo, Friday, June 5, 2026, ahead of snap parliamentary elections on June 7. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Vjosa Osmani, Kosovo former president, waves to supporter at the closing political rally of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), in capital Pristina on Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People pass by a giant election poster of acting prime minister Albin Kurti, in capital Pristina, Kosovo, Friday, June 5, 2026, ahead of snap parliamentary elections on June 7. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
The prolonged crisis has negatively affected Kosovo’s economy, already hit hard by the global energy crisis and rising fuel prices. One of the youngest and poorest countries in Europe declared independence from Serbia in 2008, after a 1998-99 war that ended in a NATO bombing that forced Serbia to withdraw.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s center-left Vetevendosje party has held a clear parliamentary majority since the early election in December. But Kosovo’s president is elected by at least 80 lawmakers in the 120-member assembly, requiring a broader political consensus.
Kurti is being challenged by the two main opposition parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo, which have accused him of seeking to impose full control over all political institutions in the country.
“Today is a sunny Sunday, a very important day for democracy in Kosovo," Kurti said after voting. “I hope the people of Kosovo once again will show their maturity as always, with a very high turnout.”
Osmani is running on the opposition LDK list in the election, having turned against Kurti after he refused to back her for a second term. Osmani on Sunday expressed “great optimism” that the election will "take us out of the repeated crisis that has damaged our country, both domestically and beyond our borders.”
While the key players blamed each other for the crisis, their inability to reach a compromise has fueled disappointment among Kosovo’s around 2 million voters, who want the government to focus on the economy and living standards instead.
Analysts still don't expect major changes in the election outcome compared to the previous vote in December.
Arton Smajli, 42, a resident of the capital, Pristina, said that “we are tired, but the will for change is greater than that.”
Sejdi Shala, 73, is also optimistic the election will bring "stability of the institutions and the society.”
The institutional vacuum, without a stable government, has delayed access to the EU and other international funds available to the country. European Council President Antonio Costa, during a visit last week, urged Kosovo to end the political stalemate and unite over the goal of EU integration.
Kosovo has been recognized by the United States and most EU countries, but not by Serbia and its allies, Russia and China. Pristina and Belgrade have been told they must mend relations to move forward with their EU membership bids.
People wait in line at a polling station for an early parliamentary election, the third in 18 months, in the northern Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dejan Simicevic)
A man votes during parliamentary election in Kosovo capital Pristina, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Kosovo's former president Vjosa Osmani votes during parliamentary election in Kosovo capital Pristina, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Blerim Berisha)
Kosovo's acting Prime Minister and Vetevendosje party leader Albin Kurti votes during parliamentary election in Kosovo capital Pristina, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People wait at a bus station displaying election posters in capital Pristina, Kosovo, Friday, June 5, 2026, ahead of snap parliamentary elections on June 7. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Vjosa Osmani, Kosovo former president, waves to supporter at the closing political rally of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), in capital Pristina on Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People pass by a giant election poster of acting prime minister Albin Kurti, in capital Pristina, Kosovo, Friday, June 5, 2026, ahead of snap parliamentary elections on June 7. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenians are voting Sunday in parliamentary elections as the incumbent government, under mounting Russian pressure, seeks to loosen ties with Moscow and deepen cooperation with the West.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his ruling Civil Contract party are looking for a strong mandate for a new geopolitical course. The opposition they face includes some parties that are vocally pro-Russian.
Casting his vote on Sunday, Pashinyan said that Armenia would continue strengthening its independence, statehood, democracy and rule of law. "The European Union is our main partner in democratic reform implementation and we will continue that path,” he said.
However, he also stressed that there were no tensions between Armenia and Moscow, saying, "our relations with Russia are institutional and based on mutual respect,” the Armenpress news agency reported.
Russian officials have hit Armenian exports with a barrage of restrictions in recent weeks, while high-ranking officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have made thinly veiled threats comparing Armenia’s path to that already taken by Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Armenian investigators said they issued six arrest warrants for members of the opposition Strong Armenia party the day before the vote, accusing them of buying votes. The nation's Central Election Committee confirmed Saturday that the party could run after a member of another opposition party, Republic, appealed for Strong Armenia to be barred over corruption allegations.
Armenia’s Parliament, the National Assembly, must consist of at least 101 members who are elected for five-year terms. Parties must win at least 4% of the vote to take a seat, while blocs made up of three or more parties must hit 8%.
Two political blocs and 17 parties are taking part in Sunday's election. Most pollsters and experts have predicted Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018 following sweeping street protests, will come out ahead.
“I think Armenians expect, first of all, a peaceful, independent and prosperous Armenia from this election, as we have today,” said Hripsime Grigoryan, a Civil Contract member of the outgoing Parliament.
Pashinyan has spoken on several occasions about the need for a balanced foreign policy ensuring Armenia maintains good relations with the United States, Europe and Russia, as well as regional powers such as Turkey and Iran.
Despite this, Pashinyan has attracted far more enthusiasm in the West than in Moscow. He has been endorsed by several European leaders, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, of Armenia, a great friend and Leader, is making his Country strong, wealthy, and very secure,” Trump wrote on social media, urging Armenians to “Make (Armenia) Great Again.”
This has displeased the Kremlin. Speaking to journalists after Russia’s Victory Day parade on May 9, Putin said if the Armenian people saw benefits in joining the European Union then “we will certainly have nothing to say against it.”
Yet he also reminded reporters, “We are currently living through everything that is happening in respect of Ukraine. And how did it start? It started with Ukraine’s joining or attempting to join the EU.”
Unlike the Civil Contract party, most of Armenia’s opposition supports building stronger relations with Moscow.
The Strong Armenia party seeks to develop business ties with Russia and has accused Pashinyan of attempting to start a war with Moscow. Party leader Samvel Karapetyan is on trial for allegedly advocating for the government's overthrow, which the Armenian-Russian billionaire has rejected as a politically motivated case. He has coordinated the party's campaign while under house arrest, aided by his nephew Narek Karapetyan.
Other potential contenders include former President Robert Kocharyan, who leads the Hayastan bloc and has accused Pashinyan of “seriously undermining” relations with Russia, and the Prosperous Armenia Party led by pro-Russian business owner Gagik Tsarukyan.
These parties also have strongly criticized Pashinyan for attempting to normalize relations with neighboring Azerbaijan. The Armenian leader and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initialed a document on moving toward a peace deal at the White House alongside Trump in August.
The two countries were locked in a decades-long conflict over the fate of Karabakh, a breakaway region that had been controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Azerbaijan took control of the entire Karabakh region during a rapid offensive in 2023.
“I want this government to change because the condition of our country is getting worse,” Sahakyan Elina, a supporter of the Prosperous Armenia Party, told The Associated Press at a rally Thursday. “I don’t want to live with my enemies in unity.”
Russian officials have slapped new restrictions on Armenian produce in the run-up to the parliamentary vote, banning the import of Armenian flowers, certain types of cognac and wine, eggplants, potatoes, dried fruits, fish and more.
Russia says the bans are related to violations of agricultural import rules.
The European Commission on Thursday described the move as “nothing short of economic coercion.”
“By extending export restrictions on Armenian products, Moscow is weaponizing economic relations for political pressure. We know this playbook all too well,” the commission said in a statement.
Moscow also controls a significant portion of Armenia’s energy and infrastructure and supplies it with cheap gas, which is a point that Putin has been quick to drive home in his meetings with Pashinyan.
Putin also has stressed that Armenia cannot join the EU and remain within the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russian-led customs bloc.
“Being in a customs union with the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is impossible,” Putin said. “It’s simply impossible by definition.”
Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, and Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed to this report.
A woman gets a ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Russian-Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan speaks to the media after voting at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Russian-Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan, center, speaks to the media after voting at a polling station during parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
A man looks at his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, center, casts his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, center, looks at photographers after voting at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Voters gather to get their ballots at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, center, casts his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Supporters of Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gather in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Friday, June 5, 2026, for the party's final campaign rally ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
People walk along a street near a campaign advertisement for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, Armenia, on Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Supporters of Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party leading by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hold up heart signs while gathering in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Friday, June 5, 2026, for the party's final campaign rally ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan meet at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool, File)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan poses for a selfie photo with a supporter as he walks on Northern Avenue in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, June 1, 2026, during public celebrations marking International Children's Day. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
