When Kosovo votes, so do 27,000 Kosovars in Switzerland  

Voters in front of the consulate in Zurich. Vera Leysinger / SWI swissinfo.ch

Many Kosovars living in Switzerland participated in the parliamentary elections on February 8. A large number voted for the incumbent prime minister, Albin Kurti – who is well aware of the importance of his supporters in the diaspora.  

Mentor Latifi, Kosovar Ambassador to Switzerland. Vera Leysinger / SWI swissinfo.ch

Mentor Latifi waved an older couple into the room with a friendly smile. “Please sign in over here,” he told the woman and her husband. He pointed towards a table behind him, where his staff were leafing intently through lists of names.  

Latifi is the Kosovar ambassador to Switzerland. On that voting Saturday in early February, his task was to ensure that everything went as smoothly as possible.  

That weekend, voters in Kosovo were electing a new parliament. This also sent tens of thousands of people to the polls in Switzerland. The Alpine nation has close ties to the small, young Balkan state, and one of the largest diaspora communities.  

Kosovo’s prime minister, Albin Kurti, often visits Switzerland and stresses his closeness to left-wing Swiss politicians. 

Over a quarter of expatriate votes come from Switzerland 

It was also a special day for Ambassador Latifi because it was a first. Kosovars abroad had already been able to vote in earlier elections, but only by post and in far more complicated circumstances: they had to register by telephone and send the voting envelope by post to Kosovo.  

On February 8, a queue snaked in front of the embassy in Bern. The scene was similar at other Kosovar diplomatic missions around the world. In Switzerland, however, the line was particularly long. Nearly 4,000 people in total had registered at the embassy in Bern and the consulates in Zurich and Geneva, in order to cast their ballots in person.  

Over a quarter of all Kosovar votes cast abroad come from Switzerland. Of the around 105,000 registered voters from the diaspora, some 27,000 live in Switzerland. 

Almost 45,000 Kosovars voted in Germany and 4,600 in France. The electoral commission recorded slightly more registrations from the diaspora this year than four years ago – thanks, presumably, to the possibility of voting in person at a polling station. 

Most people voted by post. Hundreds also travelled from Switzerland to Kosovo for the election.  

Queuing up to vote in Bern 

In front of the embassy in Bern, housed in a modern grey block, the Kosovo flag displays six white stars in an arc above a golden outline of Kosovo, against a blue background.   

On voting day, a sheet of paper was stuck to the glass door of the building, with the words “Zgjedhjet 2025”, meaning “Elections 2025”, written beneath the Kosovo coat of arms.  

The Kosovo embassy in Bern. Vera Leysinger / SWI swissinfo.ch

A couple took a selfie in front of the sign. For them, too, it was a meaningful day. “It is a blessing to be able to exercise our democratic rights in this way,” said the man, smiling broadly. They have been living in Switzerland for 30 years. “Our lives are here now. But it’s still important to us that Kosovo moves forward. There is an urgent need for improvements, especially in the health and education sectors,” he explained.  

The couple voted for the Vetëvendosje party of incumbent prime minister Kurti. Seemingly, they were not the only ones. 

Another person standing in front of the embassy, Bekim Morina, explained, gesturing towards the building: “We’re waiting for my wife’s sisters.” He came to vote with his wife and her sisters, who live 130 kilometres away in Geneva. The Morinas are also Kurti supporters – like most of the Kosovar voters in Switzerland. 

Kurti campaigned in Switzerland 

In 2021, over 80% of voters from the Kosovar diaspora around the world voted for Vetëvendosje, thus helping propel Kurti into office. The latter is fully aware of the importance of Switzerland for his political success. In late January, he appeared in front of 3,000 people in Zurich. It was his only rally abroad and was quite an event: his supporters celebrated him like a rock star. 

The major opposition parties – the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) – are older than Vetëvendosje, and have often been in government in Kosovo’s recent history. The 2025 election campaign was a tough one. The PDK and LDK sharply criticised Kurti’s policies, while the latter repeatedly brought up the corruption scandals that have tarnished the opposition parties’ reputation in the past. 

US envoy speaks out  

Kurti’s popularity among Kosovo Albanians may well also stem from his uncompromising strategyExternal link in the dialogue with the hostile neighbouring country of Serbia. Serbia has never recognised Kosovo’s independence. Whereas in Kosovo Kurti is applauded for this hard line, in the West he is often criticised for being intransigent. Richard Grenell, the former Balkans envoy of US President Donald Trump, even called for Kurti to be voted out of office during the Kosovo election campaign. 

When Kurti came to power four years ago, many Kosovars saw him as a beacon of hope. He promised to put an end to corruption and bring about rapid reform in the fields of health, education, justice and infrastructure.  

He has made progress in the fight against corruption. In the 2024 corruption rankingExternal link, Kosovo had moved up ten places compared with the previous year. In terms of social policy, however, he has achieved too little: inadequate healthcare services and a weak education system still take their toll on ordinary citizens. 

Two people study an information board in front of the consulate in Zurich. Vera Leysinger / SWI swissinfo.ch

Among those voting in Bern was Sabahet MetaExternal link, who is well-known in Switzerland as the co-organiser of the Kosovar film festival, Kino Kosova. 

Meta has been living in Switzerland for more than ten years. “We’ve come such a long way!” he exclaimed. “I still remember how my parents had to vote in secret back in the 1990s, during the oppressive apartheid system imposed by Milosevic’s Serbia.”  

At that time, Kosovo’s independence was a long way off. Meta’s parents voted for a government in exile, which was striving to gain international attention for the situation of the Kosovo Albanians. 

Kosovo has been an independent state since 2008. However, the first governments did not manage to complete a full term in office.

Peaceful election day  

The February 2025 elections were the first regularly scheduled elections to be held at the end of a legislative term. 

“I was especially pleased to see so many young people here today, exercising their right to vote for the first time,” Ambassador Latifi said on that Saturday afternoon in Bern, expressing his satisfaction at the proceedings thus far. 

People waiting in line outside the embassy in Bern. Vera Leysinger / SWI swissinfo.ch

More than one week after the election, however, the final result is still pending. Technical problems with the servers are delaying the process. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), which provides daily updates on progress in the vote counting on its social media platforms, it could still take up to two weeksExternal link before the outcome is known. 

The new counting process, introduced this year under the new electoral law, is complex and a first for the institutions, the CECExternal link explains. The votes of the diaspora have not yet been counted, but it is already known that 80% of registered votersExternal link participated.  

The final result is not expected to usher in any major changes. Kurti will probably need coalition partners to form a government majority.  

Observers from the European Union have already hailed the Kosovo elections as a successExternal link: “Election day was peaceful, and voters were able to cast their ballots in good conditions. These are clear signals that the people of Kosovo are committed to democracy.” 

Yet the delays are now causing mistrust and anger among the population. The CEC has announcedExternal link that it will examine the complications in a report and do its utmost to bring about transparency. 

Edited by Benjamin von Wyl. Adapted from German by Julia Bassam/ac