Thaci was elected with a majority of votes at the congress which the local media described as undemocratic. There were no other candidates for the post.

Thaci said that the withdrawal of the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo (LDK) from the ruling coalition government had created new circumstances that called for early parliamentary elections.

The decision to hold an early election on February 13 was made after Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu resigned to his post on September 27 after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had violated the law by keeping both his post as Kosovo President and the post of president of the LDK party.

The LDK announced its decision to leave the ruling coalition a day after Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi, who is now Acting President, said early elections would be held on February 13 since Thaci's PDK and the LDK had failed to agree on who would be the new president of Kosovo.

Thaci said that the PDK would win the forthcoming parliamentary election, adding that during his first term in office Kosovo had declared its independence and that in his second term it would join the EU and NATO.

The PDK congress was also attended by US Ambassador to Kosovo Christopher Bell.