Kosovar MP Eman Rrahmani Claims Government Plans to Introduce Same-Sex Unions and Gender Recognition Bills by Year-End
On October 10, 2026, Eman Rrahmani, an opposition Member of Parliament from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), claimed that the government led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti has set an end-of-year legislative schedule to advance several major bills concerning LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive health. According to Rrahmani, the updated draft Civil Code—which would pave the way for legally recognizing same-sex civil unions—is slated to be submitted to the cabinet on November 15, 2026, followed in late December by legislation regulating medically assisted reproduction and legal gender recognition.
According to a report by Kosovar news outlet Gazeta Express, Rrahmani published a sarcastic message on social media addressed to supporters of Prime Minister Kurti, mocking the administration’s timeline. The lawmaker wrote that “for those of you who want men to marry men and women to marry women,” the Civil Code will arrive at the executive on November 15. He added that the government intends to take up a reproductive health bill allowing unmarried women access to assisted reproduction on December 30, and a civil status bill regulating legal gender changes on December 31. Local media noted that the parliamentarian’s statements contained disparaging rhetoric directed at the LGBTI community.
Rrahmani is well known as one of the most prominent social conservatives in Kosovo’s parliament. Originally elected with the governing Vetëvendosje movement, he broke away from Kurti’s party in October 2024 over disagreements on family policy and queer rights, subsequently establishing the “List for Family” coalition before affiliating with the PDK. The adoption of Kosovo’s new Civil Code has been stalled in the Assembly for several years: in March 2022, lawmakers rejected the draft largely over Article 1138, which envisioned drafting a separate law to regulate civil unions between persons of the same sex. The initiative encountered united resistance from Islamic and Catholic religious leaders, alongside conservative deputies across the political spectrum. Meanwhile, European Union institutions and international human rights bodies have consistently urged Kosovo to pass the comprehensive code, noting that recognizing same-sex partnerships is vital for European integration and the fulfillment of constitutional guarantees of equality.
The Republic of Kosovo is a Balkan nation with its capital in Pristina and a population of roughly 1.8 million. Article 37 of Kosovo’s Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to marry without explicitly restricting the institution to different-sex couples, although existing family law defines marriage exclusively between a man and a woman. The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), with which Rrahmani is aligned, serves as a primary opposition force to Kurti’s center-left administration.
The legal status and rights of LGBT people remain contentious in Kosovar politics: previously, Uránia reported on Pristina’s Pride march held under the motto “Equality or Revolt”, where human rights defenders and queer activists demanded full legislative protections while Prime Minister Kurti abstained from attending the march for the first time in years.
