PRISTINA, Feb 9, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Election fever gripped the airport in Kosovo's capital Pristina as waves of travellers returned home to vote in Sunday's election, with the governing party hoping the ballots cast by citizens living abroad will prove pivotal.

The arrival hall at Pristina airport was mobbed Saturday evening by returning supporters of the incumbent Vetevendosje ("Self-Determination") party (VV), where they embraced awaiting family members and chanted slogans as they were greeted by Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

VV booked out commercial flights and chartered buses from across Europe ahead of the parliamentary elections.

A party worker who organised the transportation estimated that thousands had returned to Kosovo this weekend to vote in person.

"I came to vote for Albin. He did a great job and he still deserves our vote," Flora Zymeri, a 28-year-old nurse from Munich, told AFP.

Kosovo is home to around 1.6 million people, with another 800,000 estimated to be living abroad, mostly in Germany and Switzerland.

Many in the community first moved abroad as refugees fleeing Kosovo's devastating war for independence from Serbia in the late 1990s.

They were then followed by waves of emigrants searching for better economic opportunities.
 
According to the latest census conducted last year, Kosovo has shed nearly 200,000 inhabitants since the last survey conducted in 2011 -- almost 12 percent of its population.

The diaspora represents a hefty economic force in Kosovo, sending home millions of euros in vital remittances annually, and also spending an untold amount of cash during the summer holidays.

According to the Central Bank of Kosovo, the diaspora sent 1.34 billion euros ($1.38 billion) in remittances to Kosovo in 2023 alone.

- 'Deserves power' -

Ahead of Sunday's votes, Kosovo's rival political parties have courted the diaspora heavily.
 
The weekend's contest has largely centred around the incumbent Kurti and his VV party's crusade to secure a second landslide win, while the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo hope to return to power.

Analysts monitoring the election said much of the diaspora was likely to back Kurti.

"It is likely that the ruling party in Kosovo will enjoy the greatest support," said analyst Enver Robelli.

"In past elections, the diaspora has supported the VV as an anti-establishment party because of its strong anti-corruption rhetoric, which the old guard parties have been associated with."

Those who did not make the trip back to Kosovo are still able to vote by mail and at embassies abroad.

But for many, returning in person during the elections remains a cherished experience.

"I came to celebrate the victory of VV," said Nehat Veliu, 43, who flew back to Pristina from Stuttgart, after voting at a Kosovo consulate in Germany.

"VV loves the state with all its heart and deserves to be in power again."