The Assembly of Kosovo approved the new Government of the Republic of Kosovo on Wednesday evening, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti. This gave him the opportunity he had sought for over a year to begin his third term, known as “Kurti 3.” This government, not an unexpected development, is set to remain in office until the end of 2029.

According to an analysis by KosovaPress, the new cabinet comes with notable changes compared to “Kurti 2,” both in the number of ministries and in the reorganization of positions and inclusion of new figures.

One of the main features of the “Kurti 3” Government is the increase in the number of ministries. Unlike “Kurti 2,” which operated with 15, the new government has 19, expanding the cabinet with four additional departments.

According to Kurti, this expansion, although he was once a strict critic of governments with many ministries, aims to cover more sectors with dedicated ministries while also creating space for political reconfiguration and a broader distribution of responsibilities.

Who changed portfolios and who remained in place

In “Kurti 3,” several figures from the previous term have been repositioned to new ministries, changing their responsibilities and scope. Among them is Donika Gërvalla Schwarz, who moved from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of Justice, and Hajrulla Çeku, who left the Ministry of Culture and Sports to take over the Ministry of Education and Science.

Some others have remained in the same positions, such as Hekuran Murati in Finance, Arben Vitia in Health, Xhelal Sveçla in Internal Affairs, Artane Rizvanolli in Economy, Ejup Maqedonci in Defense, and Nenad Rasic in the Ministry of Communities and Return.

Meanwhile, the new structure also shows significant changes at the level of Deputy Prime Ministers. Kurti retained Donika Gërvalla Schwarz in this role but removed Emilija Redzepi and Besnik Bislimi, who are not part of the government even as ministers. They were replaced by Glauk Konjufca and Fikrim Damka.

Besnik Bislimi and others not included in Kurti 3

The new government does not include several members of the previous cabinet who had led key ministries during the “Kurti 2” term, such as: Besnik Bislimi (former Deputy Prime Minister responsible for European integration), Emilija Redzepi (former Deputy Prime Minister), Arbërie Nagavci (former Minister of Education), Rozeta Hajdari (former Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship, and Trade), Liburn Aliu (former Minister of Infrastructure and Spatial Planning), and Faton Peci (former Minister of Agriculture), who was elected mayor of Mitrovica last November.

New ministers in Kurti 3 – Hoti takes over War Values, Muja becomes “farmer”

Another feature of “Kurti 3” is the inclusion of figures who had not previously served as ministers in Kurti’s cabinets. Andin Hoti took over the Ministry of Labor, Family, and KLA Values. Saranda Bogujevci became head of Culture and Tourism, Fitore Pacolli was assigned leadership of Environment and Spatial Planning, Dimal Basha moved from Speaker of the Assembly to Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, and Lulzon Jagxhiu shifted from being Prime Minister Kurti’s advisor to head of the Ministry of Digitalization and Public Administration.

Mimoza Kusari Lila left her position as head of the VV parliamentary group in the Assembly to return to the Ministry of Entrepreneurship, Trade, and Innovation, where she had previously served during a government term under Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi. Armend Muja will no longer be a member of parliament, as he was “promoted” to Minister of Agriculture.