A New Hope? The Rise of Vetëvendosje

This chapter examines how the people of Kosovo responded to the failure of the hopes they held in the wake of the 2008 declaration of independence to materialise, as outlined in Chapter  7 . When Kosovo declared independence, the vast majority of Albanians celebrated not just the event itself but the future it ostensibly heralded. As outlined in the previous chapter, this hope did not last. By the time of the 2019 general election in Kosovo, the public mood had changed markedly as illustrated by the election of Vetëvendosje. For many years Vetëvendosje had been portrayed as insignificant radicals; its emergence as the most popular party in Kosovo is remarkable, especially given that state capture was so pronounced in Kosovo, and the Albanian community was so reluctant to criticise the Internationals. In this chapter, I argue that the rise of Vetëvendosje was certainly a function of increased anger but crucially, unlike the rise of anger elsewhere in Eastern Europe—and indeed worldwide—during the same period, anger in Kosovo did not lead to increased support for an illiberal/authoritarian movement; though Vetëvendosje came to power promising major change, it is committed to democracy, liberal values, and international integration. The dashing of hopes in Kosovo thus precipitated a degree of despondency—as evidenced by the emigration and voter apathy discussed in the previous chapter—and some increased support for extremist groups, but overall, the result of hopes being dashed was constructive anger and the attendant rise of Vetëvendosje.