On June 8th, Kosovo is set to hold parliamentary elections after the Assembly of Kosovo voted to disband itself, amid political gridlock and an unstable ruling coalition. These come shortly after Kosovo held local elections in 2013, which brought about notable political change — especially in the larger cities — and are the first parliamentary elections where it is expected that the Serbs living north of the Ibër/Ibar river will vote in significant numbers, much like they did in the 2013 local elections. These elections are significant for a variety of reasons, not least for the fact that the Serb community will be running under a single unified list, the expected high turnout within the Kosovo Serb community, and generally the change that the election may bring on the ruling parties, after almost two terms of PDK led governments. An important change in the way minority communities are represented in the Assembly of Kosovo will take effect in these elections: the reserved seats system will be phased out, in favour of the guaranteed seats system. This switch over is expected to shake-up the minority political scene, as it will introduce a slightly more restrictive allocation of seats for minorities.

The following political update seeks to provide a detailed look at the political situation unfolding end entities emerging with the start of the campaign. It also looks at the effects the guaranteed seats system will have on the way communities are represented in the Assembly of Kosovo. Finally, we shall provide a full list of minority community political entities that are competing in these elections, with a short background on each of them. The report is focused primarily on the developments and parties of minority communities in Kosovo, with a special attention to Serb political parties.