Kosovo Rejects Hate: A Landmark Electoral Defeat for Homophobia in the Balkans

Kosovo voters decisively rejected homophobia, barring the far-right Coalition for the Family from parliament. Activist efforts and legal debates continue shaping the nation's LGBTQ+ rights.

In an election that will be remembered for its decisive rejection of bigotry, the people of Kosovo have sent a resounding message: intolerance has no place in their democratic future. The far-right political alliance “Koalicioni për Familjen” (Coalition for the Family), a party that built its campaign on homophobic rhetoric and opposition to reproductive rights, has failed to meet the 5% threshold required to enter Kosovo’s parliament. This outcome is not just an electoral defeat—it is a watershed moment in the country’s evolving identity, reaffirming its commitment to progress, human rights, and inclusion.

A Campaign of Hate Meets Its Reckoning

Throughout the election season, the Coalition for the Family repeatedly targeted the LGBTQ+ community with inflammatory rhetoric, falsely framing same-sex relationships as a threat to Kosovo’s cultural values. Led by Eman Rrahmani, the party positioned itself as a defender of “traditional family structures” while aggressively opposing legislatio…