[1] Isa Mustafa began his political career in the early 1980s, when he became the head of the municipal government of Pristina, from 1984 to 1988.

[1] In the 1990s, as Yugoslavia started to break up, Mustafa became the Minister of Economy and Finances of the government of the Republic of Kosova, in exile, headed by Bujar Bukoshi.

[1] During this time, an arrest warrant for Mustafa was issued within Yugoslavia – which did not become international, making it possible for him to work in Western Europe.

[2] On 7 November 2010, he became the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, beating Fatmir Sejdiu in the party leadership election by 235 votes to 124.

[3] On 1 December 2013, he lost re-election to the position of Mayor of Pristina, in what was seen as a major upset, to upcoming politician Shpend Ahmeti.

On 15 February 2021, Mustafa announced he would be standing down as the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo after a poor result in the 2021 elections.