The Double Crisis in Kosovo: COVID-19 as a Veil for Power Struggles

In addition to the coronavirus pandemic shaking all affected countries to the core, Europe’s youngest nation was struck with a political crisis causing even more uncertainty and distress for its citizens. Following the October 2019 elections in Kosovo, the new government, led by the Vetevendosje (Self-determination) party, was formed only in February, and by the end of March it already fell apart amid a no-confidence vote. Even more surprising is the fact that the no-confidence motion was triggered by the second biggest coalition party, LDK (Democratic League of Kosovo). The fall of the government in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis suggests that the spread of the virus and disagreements over how to approach the fight against it were at the centre of the conflict inside the government coalition. However, the underlying causes run much deeper and involve domestic as well as international interests and power struggles.

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