Autocratic Legalism in Kosovo? Democratic backsliding under the Vetëvendosje (LVV)
This paper analyzes Kosovo's democratic backsliding under the Vetëvendosje (Self-Determination, LVV) government since 2021, and argues that its policies and actions, while presented as rule-of-law reforms, exhibit characteristics of autocratic legalism. The systematic targeting of independent institutions (especially the Constitutional Court, the State Prosecutor's office, and the media), manipulation of public resources for electoral gain, and controversial unilateral actions in the northern part of Kosovo demonstrate a pattern of undermining Kosovo’s liberal-democratic values. While largely operating within a legal framework, these actions cumulatively risk eroding Kosovo's liberal-democratic constitutional order, which was developed by the international community following NATO’s humanitarian intervention in Kosovo in 1999.
Robert Muharremi
Robert Muharremi is Dean of Faculty at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Tirana (Albania) and Assistant Professor in International Law, Human Rights and Law and Politics at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Kosovo.