Nikollë Perkaj

Nikollë Perkaj ( - died 21 September 2025) was a Kosovar politician and chairman of the Albanian Democratic National Front, who ran as a candidate for mayor of Gjakova in the 2025 local elections. He died during the election campaign, leading several political parties to suspend campaign activities in Gjakova in his honor.

Political career

Nikollë Perkaj was a veteran of UÇK during the Kosovo War who later became active in politics and activism for a union between Kosovo and Albania. He initially engaged in activism by founding the Albanian National Front organization. In the 2021 parliamentary election, he ran as a candidate for AAK. In early 2024, he registered PBDKSH as an official political party and subsequently became the founder and leader of the Albanian Democratic National Front Party (Partia Balli Kombëtar Demokrat Shqiptar), a nationalist and conservative political party registered in Kosovo in February 2024. He served as the party’s first chairman during its formative period, overseeing its organization and early development as it established its presence in Kosovo’s political landscape, positioning itself on national-conservative principles.

Perkaj was also a candidate in the 2025 local elections, running for mayor of Gjakova under the banner of the Albanian Democratic National Front Party.

Death and aftermath

Nikollë Perkaj had a sudden death on 21 September 2025 during the campaign for the Gjakova mayoral election. Following his death, the Democratic Party of Kosovo and other political groups canceled scheduled campaign events in Gjakova as a sign of respect. Because Perkaj died shortly before the election, it was too late to remove his name from the official ballot. As a result, voters who supported him still cast their votes for him. According to reports, these votes were legally counted, even though he had passed away.