Kosovars began voting on Sunday in a parliamentary election that an anti-establishment party is expected to win, further complicating Western efforts to resolve a decades-long territorial dispute with Serbia.
Opinion polls predict that the Vetevendosje party will win between 45% and 55% of the vote among ethnic Albanians, who represent 90% of the 1.9 million inhabitants. While that would be nearly double its result in the 2019 election, the party may still need a partner to govern.
Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti, who served as prime minister for five months last year, has gained support in his commitments to combat widespread corruption and in the stance that there should be no compromise in a dialogue with Serbia, which lost control of Kosovo in 1999 after NATO. bombed their forces.
If Vetevendosje does not win a majority of 61 seats, it may have to join forces with the now ruling Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) or the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK). .
Russia-backed Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, citing the need to protect the rights of its Serbian minority. Negotiators from the European Union and the United States have failed to reach a compromise that allows Kosovo to join international organizations such as the United Nations and NATO.
With a third of its workforce unemployed and a per capita gross domestic product of $ 4,300, Kosovo remains the poorest country in the Western Balkan region.
Skender Habibaj, a retiree in Pristina, said he hoped the elections would bring about a change in the political elite.
“I think people should not vote for the (politicians) who were in parliament before, but only for the new ones,” said Habibaj, who was in very cold weather and was one of the first to vote in a polling station in the city center. .
Almost 2,400 polling stations opened at 7 am (0600 GMT) and will close at 7 pm (1800 GMT). The first official results are expected a few hours later.
“People want jobs, we want to get rid of corruption,” Luljeta Emini said after casting her vote at a polling station in Pristina.
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