Kosovo election: PM's party set to win but likely short of majority

Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti is poised to win the parliamentary election held Sunday, but his party appears unlikely to secure the majority needed to end the country's prolonged political crisis. This election is the third in just 18 months for the Balkan nation, underscoring its persistent instability.

Voting concluded at 7 p.m. local time. With 73% of ballots counted, Kurti's Self-Determination Movement (Vetevendosje) garnered 43% of the vote, according to preliminary official results. However, the party must now seek coalition partners and compromise with rivals to achieve the two-thirds parliamentary majority necessary to elect a new president.

Other parties trailed significantly, with the Democratic Party of Kosovo receiving 22% and the Democratic League of Kosovo securing 18%. The Self-Determination Movement had previously won 51.1% in the December election and 42% in February. Despite these wins, failure to agree on a presidential candidate with other parties led to the dissolution of parliament in April, triggering Sunday's snap election.

Kosovo, one of Europe's youngest and poorest countries, aspires to join the European Union. However, a functional government has been largely absent for much of the past year due to a deeply divided parliament, which has delayed the election of a speaker and a new head of state.