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Kosovo’s ruling party is on track to win the largest number of votes in Sunday’s parliamentary election but fall short of a majority of seats, an exit poll predicts.<\/p>\n
Vetevendosje, the party of Prime Minister Alvin Kurti, will win 42% of the vote, the Koha News portal says, which would translate to 47 seats in the 120-seat parliament.<\/p>\n
The centre-left governing party is expected to come ahead of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) on 21%, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) on 20% and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) on 7%, the exit poll shows. <\/p>\n
Kurti came to power in 2021 when a coalition run by his party received more than 50% of votes and secured a small majority in parliament.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
His popularity has been boosted by efforts to extend government control over the ethnic-Serb majority north. <\/p>\n
But that has antagonised Kosovo’s main backers – the EU and the US. Opposition parties advocate a more conciliatory approach, and have criticised the government’s handling of the economy.<\/p>\n
The centre-right LDK has campaigned on joining Nato, and restoring relations with the US. The PDK, also centre-right, was founded by former guerrilla fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army.<\/p>\n
Under Kosovo’s constitution, 10 MPs must come from the Serb minority, and they will not cooperate with Kurti’s party.<\/p>\n
The remaining 10 seats are reserved for other minority ethnic groups, which have previously cooperated with Vetevendosje, which translates as “self-determination”.<\/p>\n
Kurti has previously said he would not cooperate with any of the opposition parties.<\/p>\n
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, after years of strained relations between its Serb and mainly Albanian inhabitants.<\/p>\n
It has been recognised by the US and major EU countries, but Serbia, backed by its powerful ally Russia, refuses to do so, as do most ethnic Serbs inside Kosovo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n