Kosovo election win signals shift in global diplomacy
The Self-Determination Party, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, won the largest number of votes in Kosovo's parliamentary elections held on Sunday—about 40%—according to exit polls published by the media after the polls closed.
In a Klan Kosova television poll, Self-Determination received 38.2% of the votes, while the "Koha Ditore" newspaper poll gave the prime minister's party 42.3%.
In both polls, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) ranked second, and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) came in third. Both parties received slightly over 20% of the votes—22.4% and 20.1% in the first poll, and 21.3% and 20.4% in the second.
Polling stations for the 120-member Kosovo Assembly (Kuvendi) closed at 7 PM. The first partial results from the State Election Commission are expected after 4 PM on Sunday, Eastern Time.
Elections in Kosovo: What the prime minister's party win will mean
If he wins the parliamentary elections in Kosovo and extends his mandate, Prime Minister Albin Kurti is expected to align more closely with the new US administration and soften his tone in relations with Belgrade and the Serbian minority in Kosovo, as assessed by Jakub Bielamowicz from the Institute of New Europe before Sunday's vote.
“From the beginning of his career, Kurti has emphasized the necessity of completing the construction of Kosovo's statehood, and he maintained this position upon gaining power. It's natural that when governing such a country, one should strive for the consolidation of power within its territory. A valid criticism against him, however, is that he chose methods that are not particularly delicate and that he did not consult his actions with foreign partners such as the EU and the USA, whose support allows Kosovo to sustain itself as a state,” Bielamowicz noted.
The analyst pointed out that under the rule of Self-Determination, unemployment in Kosovo fell from about 30% to about 10%. The minimum wage increased, and the country achieved the fastest growth rate among Western Balkan countries. "However, in foreign policy, there has been a very noticeable cooling in relations with the United States and the European Union," the PAP correspondent noted.
