The Japan Times - Main contenders in Kosovo's snap election

Here are the main contenders to be the Balkan nation's next prime minister:

- Albin Kurti: eyeing fourth win -

Kosovo's caretaker prime minister, Albin Kurti, is widely seen as the unbeatable frontrunner in the race—even after a year of political paralysis during which he failed to form a coalition.

If he wins, it will mark the fourth consecutive time the 50-year-old left-wing leader has crossed the finish line first, securing his position at the helm of the small, landlocked country.

Kurti has left nothing to chance, pouring enormous energy into a two-week snap election campaign, travelling extensively and lobbying across the country.

Once nicknamed "Che Guevara" for his youthful radicalism, Kurti boasts long political experience rooted in Kosovo's independence movement during the war-torn 1990s and later in parliament.

After a brief first term as prime minister from February to June 2020, Kurti's party, Vetevendosje (VV) -- which blends a leftist agenda with fervent nationalism -- won the 2021 snap elections with over half the vote.

He then became the first prime minister to complete a full term since Kosovo's independence. However, in February's election, his party fell short of the numbers needed to govern alone and failed to secure a coalition partner, triggering months of deadlock that ultimately led to Sunday's snap vote.

Kurti and VV still enjoy strong voter support, thanks largely to their reformist and anti-corruption platform. But if Kurti wins on Sunday, he will face intense international pressure to revive dialogue with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on normalizing relations between the two neighbours.

- Bedri Hamza: the challenger -

Bedri Hamza, a former central bank governor and newly elected president of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), is seen as Kurti's strongest challenger.

Born out of a guerrilla movement during the war against rule from Belgrade, the PDK dominated Kosovo's political scene for years, riding the wave of wartime popularity. But its influence gradually waned as the country moved beyond the conflict.

The party has since reinvented itself with figures like Hamza, who blends national values with liberal economic policies championing free markets, economic growth, a stronger private sector and social protection.

The 62-year-old graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Pristina and began his career in the late 1980s as head of accounting and finance at a lead metallurgy plant in Mitrovica.

More than three decades later, Hamza returned to the ethnically divided city as mayor of its Albanian-majority south. His tenure is remembered for successfully implementing multi-ethnic projects with the Serb-majority north, including regulating the Ibar River. If elected prime minister, this experience could prove invaluable in building trust with Kosovo's Serb minority, which remains loyal to Belgrade.

A prominent economist, Hamza has served as finance minister, central bank governor and has been a three-term MP.

Knowing that in pro-American Kosovo, political ambitions often hinge on US support, Hamza's first major move after announcing his candidacy was a trip to Washington, where he met senior US officials.

Generally regarded as a man of integrity, Hamza declared after his election as PDK leader that the party "is ready for victory".

- Lumir Abdixhiku: young pretender -

Lumir Abdixhiku is the youngest candidate for prime minister but leads the country's oldest political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).

The 42-year-old economist was an academic focusing on tax evasion in transition economies before entering politics and served as Kosovo's infrastructure minister.

Abdixhiku also spent several years as a newspaper columnist, penning the well-known "Letters from Limbo" column in the daily Koha Ditore.

He became LDK leader in 2021, just a month after the party suffered a crushing parliamentary defeat. Abdixhiku pledged reform and delivered, replacing much of its leadership with younger activists. Now the third-largest party in parliament, the LDK could play kingmaker in these elections, as both left and right seek its support for a coalition.

Abdixhiku declared that LDK aims to "take the leadership of Kosovo" and offer "a dignified and European government" if it wins.

Y.Kato--JT