Kosovo is experiencing increasing tensions as protests against the convictions of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders coincide with a deadline for electing a new president. Demonstrators are calling for changes to the law governing the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers, particularly regarding prison terms and the locations where sentences are served. These protests follow the September 16 convictions of former KLA leaders, including former President Hashim Thaci.
The demands of the protesters are intertwined with ongoing negotiations over the presidency, raising the possibility of new elections if lawmakers do not reach an agreement by Wednesday. November 15 has been suggested as a potential date for the new vote. Political analyst Artan Muhaxhiri stated, "New elections do not, in themselves, promise anything particularly positive," and expressed skepticism about the likelihood of significant political change.
Muhaxhiri noted that if a president is not elected, a new vote will occur in a politically charged environment. He indicated that the anger over the verdicts will likely dominate the campaign, overshadowing critical issues related to socioeconomic development and contributing to ongoing instability in the country.
The Specialist Chambers were established in 2015 under Kosovo law following international investigations into alleged war crimes committed by KLA members during and after the 1998-99 conflict. Although part of Kosovo’s judicial system, the court operates in The Hague and remains controversial in Kosovo, where the KLA is largely viewed as having fought against Serbian rule.
Protests erupted in September after the court sentenced Thaci to 25 years in prison. In response, the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), previously led by Thaci, proposed amendments aimed at limiting the tribunal's power, including capping prison sentences at 15 years and allowing convicts to serve their sentences in Kosovo.
On October 2, 2026, Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s government determined there were no legal barriers to the PDK initiative and forwarded its assessment to the Assembly of Kosovo. The parliament approved the initiative at first reading, but it has not yet been finalized.
Kosovo has been in a political impasse since President Vjosa Osmani's term expired in April, with the National Assembly unable to select a new president. Internal conflicts within the PDK following the September sentencing have left the party divided, hindering its ability to negotiate a cross-party presidential agreement, according to Nexhmedin Spahiu, a political science professor in Pristina.
On Monday, lawmakers failed to achieve a quorum for the presidential election, leading to police deploying tear gas and water cannons outside the Assembly amid clashes involving fireworks and bottles. This use of force has drawn criticism from observers. Journalist Gezim Baxhaku stated that police overstepped their legal authority, saying, "There was an overuse of force," and noted that the situation had escalated unnecessarily.
Among the protesters were KLA veterans, and prior to Monday's events, Pristina had seen nearly three weeks of largely peaceful protests. Baxhaku remarked that citizens had been providing food and water to police officers, indicating that the escalation was unwarranted.
Spahiu emphasized that the protests should not be interpreted as a general rejection of the verdicts, noting that a significant majority of Kosovo's citizens are satisfied with the Specialist Chambers' decisions. He stated that the court's rejection of Serbian claims of systematic crimes against humanity by the KLA "validated the liberation struggle" and that many are relieved that individuals are being held accountable for crimes against political rivals within the Albanian community.
The Assembly remains deadlocked over the presidential election, as the PDK and other opposition parties are boycotting the voting session, preventing the legislature from achieving the constitutionally required quorum of 80 members. Muhaxhiri criticized Kurti for linking the presidential vote to the amendments regarding the Hague court, stating that this approach exacerbated tensions and conflated significant historical issues with the immediate need to elect a president.