Voting wraps up in Kosovo’s general election

PRISTINA, Kosovo/ISTANBUL

Voting in Kosovo’s general election concluded on Sunday.

Polling stations were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time (0600-1800GMT) .

The Central Election Commission of Kosovo reported voter turnout of nearly 28% by 3 p.m. local time (1400GMT).

Kosovo, with 1.97 million eligible voters, is holding elections to fill 120 parliamentary seats. The elected members will serve a four-year term.

Unofficial results are expected to be released around midnight.

Polls indicate that the Vetevendosje or Self-Determination Movement party led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti is likely to win the most votes. However, it remains unclear whether Kurti can secure the 61 seats necessary to form a government, either alone or through a coalition.

Kurti’s main competitors include the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and candidate for prime minister, Lumir Abdixhiku, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) candidate for prime minister Bedri Hamza, and Ramush Haradinaj, the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK).

For the two seats allocated to Kosovo’s Turkish community, the Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party (KDTP) and the Innovative Turkish Movement Party (YTHP) each fielded 25 candidates, while the Turkish Justice Party of Kosovo (KTAP) put forward one candidate.

More than 18,000 observers, including over 100 from the European Union Election Observation Mission, are monitoring the election process.