Kosovo's anti-establishment party Vetevendosje is set to win the parliamentary election, preliminary results show, further complicating Western efforts to resolve the country's decades-long territorial dispute with Serbia.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The State Election Commission result, which was based on 46 per cent of the votes counted, showed Vetevendosje in the lead with 48 per cent, while another opposition party Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) is forecast to come second with 18.3 per cent of the votes.
The ruling Democratic League of Kosovo is forecast to come third with 13.7 per cent, while the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo is forecast to win 8.2 per cent.
Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti, who served as Kosovo's prime minister for five months last year, has won support on pledges to fight widespread corruption and on a stance that there should be no compromise in a dialogue with Serbia, which lost control over Kosovo in 1999 after NATO bombed its forces.
According to preliminary results, Vetevendosje is not likely to secure a majority of 61 seats and will have to find a coalition partner to form a government.
Serbia, backed by Russia, does not recognise Kosovo's independence, citing the need to protect the rights of its Serb minority. The European Union and the United States have failed to secure a compromise to allow Kosovo to join international bodies such as the United Nations and NATO.
Australian Associated Press
