I just noticed something quite significant in the Balkans. Kosovo's Parliament finally confirmed Albin Kurti as Prime Minister after a full year of political paralysis that practically froze the country. The vote was decisive: 66 out of 120 legislators supported the Vetevendosje leader.

What’s interesting here is the context. Kosovo was stuck in political limbo for months after last year's general elections, when Kurti failed to secure the necessary majority. The polarization was so intense that early elections were called in December, where his party Vetevendosje swept with more than 51% of the votes. But of course, nothing was easy: massive irregularities were discovered in the count, leading to a full recount and the detention of over 100 electoral officials for electoral fraud. We’re talking about more than 68,000 compromised votes.

Now that Kosovo has a functioning government again, things could change. Kurti presented an agenda focused on strengthening the economy and investing in defense, although he also emphasized the pursuit of "normalization of relations" with Serbia, which is key if both countries want to move toward the European Union. In his speech, he didn’t miss the opportunity to highlight that Kosovo is "the most democratic country in the region."

This matters because Kosovo is one of the poorest countries in Europe, and during all this political instability, investments and international aid were frozen. With a stable government, that could be unlocked. Kurti’s strategy this time was different: instead of focusing on territorial narratives, he bet on economic promises and social policies. The opposition questions whether he can really deliver, but clearly voters gave him another chance.