In the 1990s after the creation of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), we saw a proliferation of political parties. This trend continued after the war, with the main parties coming out of the disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army. Currently the political scene is dominated by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and LDK, as well as a strong regional party, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK).

A decade after the first free elections, the political parties are still facing many problems in terms of their functionality, especially when it comes to drafting and communicating comprehensive political programs. To date, the key reasons why citizens vote for one political party are their regional and personal affiliations rather than the program that party offers.

The electoral system in Kosovo is not seen as being sufficiently representative. Kosovo is treated as one electoral zone and proportional representation system is structured in a way that ensures that candidates at the top of the list gain disproportionately more votes. Although, reforms were introduced in 2007 and now the party lists are open, still there is intense competition to secure a high ranking position in the list. Further, the members of parliament do not represent all regions equally. Some regions or municipalities are overrepresened and others have no representation at all.

Based on the 2009 Global Corruption Barometer perception report of Transparency International, the most corrupt institutions in Kosovo are the political parties. So far there has not been meaningful debates on the financing of political parties. Only recently we saw an opening of public debate on the transparency of public party financing which is a crucial issue.

Because of the special circumstances of their emergence after the war the political parties have been established without e clear ideological orientation. Many of them are not yet sure as to what side of the political spectrum they belong to. As a result, citizens do not have a clear understanding about which party best represents their interests.

The presence of a strong international administration, the proportional representation system with closed lists and the current socioeconomic situation in Kosovo have created a system of patron-client relationships on which political affiliations are based. Breaking this system of patronage and introducing true intra-party democracy is one of the biggest political challenges in Kosovo.