Kosovo’s governing party wins parliamentary election but without majority, preliminary results show
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Kosovo’s governing party wins parliamentary election but without majority, preliminary results show

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Preliminary results showed that Prime Minister Albin Kurti ’s party won Kosovo’s parliamentary election Sunday but without the majority needed to govern alone, as talks on normalizing ties with rival Serbia remain stalled and foreign funding for one of Europe’s poorest countries is in question. With 73% of the votes counted, Kurti’s leftist Self-Determination Movement Party, or Vetevendosje!, won 41.99% which doesn’t give it the majority needed to govern alone, leaving open the possibility the other three contenders could join ranks if he fails to form a Cabinet. Ties with Serbia remain a concern Kurti has been at odds with Western powers since his Cabinet took several steps that raised tensions with Serbia and ethnic Serbs, including the ban on the use of the Serbian currency and dinar transfers from Serbia to Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority that depends on Belgrade’s social services and payments. It is the ninth parliamentary vote in Kosovo since the end of the 1998-1999 war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists that pushed Serbian forces out following a 78-day NATO air campaign.

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History of this topic

EU observers hail Kosovo’s peaceful election but criticize the polarization of political debate
1 month, 2 weeks ago

EU observers hail Kosovo’s peaceful election but criticize the polarization of political debate

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — European Union observers on Tuesday hailed Kosovo’s “peaceful and competitive” parliamentary election but criticized the left-wing government that won the most seats for polarizing the political debate. “The campaign was vibrant despite harsh rhetoric reflecting deep political divisions.” The election marked the first time since independence in 2008 that Kosovo’s parliament completed a full four-year mandate. Sunday’s …

Kosovo election: PM Kurti’s party set for comeback but to lose majority
Trending News
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Kosovo election: PM Kurti’s party set for comeback but to lose majority

Firstpost  

Vetevendosje won 41.3% of votes with 88% of ballots counted, official results from the election commission showed. The opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo was second with 21.8% and the Democratic League of Kosovo party had 17.8% Kosovo's Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Vetevendosje party Albin Kurti addresses supporters as exit polls show the party is set to come …

Kosovo’s prime minister looks for allies for new Cabinet after failing to win parliamentary majority
Trending News
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Kosovo’s prime minister looks for allies for new Cabinet after failing to win parliamentary majority

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s leftist party won the most seats in the parliamentary election, but was left without a majority in the house, forcing it to look for an ally to form the next government, according to preliminary results released Monday. The EU’s ambassador to Kosovo, Aivo Orav, hoped that forming a new Cabinet would be …

Kosovo election to test PM Kurti's popularity as Trump freezes fund for development projects
Trending News
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Kosovo election to test PM Kurti's popularity as Trump freezes fund for development projects

Firstpost  

Kosovo is facing challenges after Trump administration enacted a 90-day freeze on funding for various projects through USAID, which has been instrumental in the Balkan region’s development Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti is eyeing another term in the elections. File image/AP After a heated election campaign that saw opposition candidates challenged Prime Minister Albin Kurti on economic policies, corruption, and …

PM Albin Kurti declares victory in Kosovo election
1 month, 3 weeks ago

PM Albin Kurti declares victory in Kosovo election

Al Jazeera  

The vote will determine who leads Kosovo’s stalled normalisation talks with neighbouring Serbia. Prime Minister Albin Kurti has declared victory in Kosovo’s parliamentary election, but the results mean he must now try to form a coalition government. “We will continue to finish the work that we have started.” Al Jazeera’s Maja Blazevska, reporting from Pristina, said “Kosovo will go back …

Kosovo elections will decide who will lead stalled talks with Serbia and manage a battered economy
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Kosovo elections will decide who will lead stalled talks with Serbia and manage a battered economy

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo goes to the polls Sunday in a parliamentary election expected to be a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti after his governing party won in a landslide four years ago. It is the ninth parliamentary vote in Kosovo since the end of the 1998-1999 war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists that pushed …

EU sends election observers to monitor Kosovo’s parliamentary polls on Feb. 9
2 months, 1 week ago

EU sends election observers to monitor Kosovo’s parliamentary polls on Feb. 9

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — An election observation mission has been set up by the European Union to oversee parliamentary elections in Kosovo scheduled for Feb. 9. A team of 100 observers will monitor the elections, underlining “continuous EU support for Kosovo to further strengthen its democratic governance,” Nathalie Loiseau, the French member of the European Parliament who has been appointed as …

Kosovo’s authorities close parallel institutions run by the country’s ethnic Serb minority
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Kosovo’s authorities close parallel institutions run by the country’s ethnic Serb minority

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s authorities on Wednesday said they had closed all so-called parallel institutions used by the country’s ethnic Serb minority and financially supported by neighboring Serbia, in a move condemned by the European Union. “From today on, the chapter of Serbia’s illegal criminal parallel structures in the Republic of Kosovo is closed,” Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said. Kurti …

Kosovo appeals body overturns ban on ethnic Serb party, allowing it to run in parliamentary election
3 months ago

Kosovo appeals body overturns ban on ethnic Serb party, allowing it to run in parliamentary election

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s election appeals authority on Wednesday cancelled a ban on the main party of the ethnic Serb minority, allowing it to field candidates in the upcoming parliamentary election. The Electoral Panel for Complaints and Appeals decided that the party, Srpska Lista, or Serb List, has “fulfilled the political terms to be certified for registration.” The panel overturned …

Kosovo’s ethnic Serb party says its ban from a parliamentary election is ‘political violence’
3 months ago

Kosovo’s ethnic Serb party says its ban from a parliamentary election is ‘political violence’

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s main ethnic Serb party on Tuesday said its ban from the upcoming general election is “institutional and political violence” against the ethnic minority. Serb President Aleksandar Vučić criticized the move to ban the party, saying “Kurti is trying to root out the Serb people from southern province.” Kurti considers the Srpska Lista as the “political branch …

Kosovo election authority bans main ethnic Serb party from parliamentary vote
3 months, 1 week ago

Kosovo election authority bans main ethnic Serb party from parliamentary vote

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s election authority on Monday barred the main ethnic Serb party from competing in the upcoming parliamentary election, justifying the move by pointing to its nationalist stance and close ties to Serbia. The Central Election Commission declined to certify Kosovo’s main ethnic Serb party, Srpska Lista, or Serb List. The commission officials also said that the Serb …

Prosecutors summon Kosovo’s prime minister in a move his supporters say is politically motivated
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Prosecutors summon Kosovo’s prime minister in a move his supporters say is politically motivated

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s Special Prosecutor’s Office has summoned Prime Minister Albin Kurti Monday to testify in a case that remains unclear, with his supporters saying it’s a politically driven move as the country gears up for election. However, Kurti’s spokesman, Perparim Kryeziu, said in a Facebook post last week the premier was called to testify in a case under …

Serbia demands new elections in tense north Kosovo as well as return of Serb police and judiciary
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Serbia demands new elections in tense north Kosovo as well as return of Serb police and judiciary

Associated Press  

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia on Friday demanded that an election be held and ethnic Serbs return to police and judiciary in a Serb-populated northern region of Kosovo where tensions have fueled fears of instability and new armed clashes. Populist President Aleksandar Vucic also called for the withdrawal of Kosovo’s special police from the region bordering Serbia that remains a flashpoint …

Kosovo’s president sets parliament elections for Feb. 9 in a key test for the prime minister
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Kosovo’s president sets parliament elections for Feb. 9 in a key test for the prime minister

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s president on Friday set Feb. 9 as the date for the tiny Balkan country’s new parliamentary elections, a vote that is expected to be a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti whose governing party won in a landslide in the 2021. In a decree published on her Facebook page, President Vjosa Osmani said she set …

Kosovo prime minister deplores new condition ahead of Council of Europe’s membership vote next week
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Kosovo prime minister deplores new condition ahead of Council of Europe’s membership vote next week

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Kosovo’s prime minister Wednesday deplored the fact that some Western powers reportedly have set another condition ahead of Kosovo’s joining the Council of Europe. Kosovo media reported that France and Germany want Kosovo to take a significant step toward establishing an association of its Serb-majority municipalities in the north to unblock a vote of full membership a …

Residents of four Serb-majority municipalities vote on removing Albanian mayors from office
11 months, 1 week ago

Residents of four Serb-majority municipalities vote on removing Albanian mayors from office

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Residents of four Serb-majority municipalities …

Kosovo will conduct a nationwide census that includes surveying the ethnic Serb minority
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Kosovo will conduct a nationwide census that includes surveying the ethnic Serb minority

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s government began Friday its first nationwide census since 2011, which will include surveying the ethnic Serb minority in the north, at a time when tensions with neighboring Serbia are high. Hazbije Qeriqi, the agency spokesperson, said they hoped for “a positive response from everybody.” In 2011 Kosovo had 1.74 million registered residents, of which nearly 1.5%, …

Kosovo OKs referendums in 4 Serb-majority municipalities on whether to oust ethnic Albanian mayors
1 year ago

Kosovo OKs referendums in 4 Serb-majority municipalities on whether to oust ethnic Albanian mayors

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s Central Electoral Commission on Saturday approved referendums in four Serb-majority municipalities to be held on April 21 on whether to oust their ethnic Albanian mayors whose election last year raised tensions between Serbia and Kosovo. The commission also confirmed a petition held in January in which about one-fourth of around 45,000 eligible voters in four municipalities …

Serbia to hold snap elections as president calls for country to be ‘united’
1 year, 4 months ago

Serbia to hold snap elections as president calls for country to be ‘united’

Al Jazeera  

Serbia will hold a snap election next month after President Aleksandar Vucic dissolved parliament in the face of political pressure at home and from the European Union. “We live in times that are difficult for the whole world, in times of global challenges, wars and conflicts when it is necessary that we are all united in preserving vital national and …

Brawl erupts in Kosovo’s parliament during prime minister’s speech on defusing tensions with Serbs
1 year, 8 months ago

Brawl erupts in Kosovo’s parliament during prime minister’s speech on defusing tensions with Serbs

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — A brawl erupted in the Kosovo parliament on Thursday after an opposition lawmaker threw water on Prime Minister Albin Kurti while he was speaking about government measures to defuse tensions with ethnic Serbs in the country’s north. On Wednesday, Kurti announced he would reduce the number of special police officers stationed outside four municipal buildings in ethnic …

Kosovo to partially withdraw special police officers from northern Serb-majority municipalities
1 year, 8 months ago

Kosovo to partially withdraw special police officers from northern Serb-majority municipalities

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Kosovo’s government on Wednesday will …

Kosovo to partially withdraw special police officers from northern Serb-majority municipalities
1 year, 8 months ago

Kosovo to partially withdraw special police officers from northern Serb-majority municipalities

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s government on Wednesday will reduce the number of special police officers stationed outside four municipal buildings in ethnic Serb-majority areas and hold new mayoral elections in each of the towns, in a bid to defuse tensions with neighboring Serbia that flared anew in May. Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that one-fourth of the special police …

Kosovo's prime minister offers to hold new elections in tense Serb-majority municipalities
1 year, 9 months ago

Kosovo's prime minister offers to hold new elections in tense Serb-majority municipalities

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Kosovo’s prime minister offered Thursday to hold new mayoral elections in …

Kosovo’s prime minister offers to hold new elections in tense Serb-majority municipalities
1 year, 9 months ago

Kosovo’s prime minister offers to hold new elections in tense Serb-majority municipalities

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s prime minister offered Thursday to hold new mayoral elections in four Serb-majority municipalities and reduce police there in an effort to defuse tensions with neighboring Serbia that flared anew last month. Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo boycotted mayoral elections in the four municipalities in April as part of a campaign for greater autonomy, and they now …

Kosovo open to new municipal vote in its north after unrest: FM
1 year, 9 months ago

Kosovo open to new municipal vote in its north after unrest: FM

Al Jazeera  

Violence has flared since Kosovo authorities installed ethnic Albanian mayors in four municipalities. Kosovo is open to the possibility of new elections in four northern Serb-majority municipalities following unrest, but other steps need to be taken before then, according to Kosovan foreign minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz. Violence has flared since Kosovo authorities installed ethnic Albanian mayors in the municipalities after being …

Kosovo prime minister says he will not surrender country to Serbian ‘fascist militia’ after clashes in north
1 year, 10 months ago

Kosovo prime minister says he will not surrender country to Serbian ‘fascist militia’ after clashes in north

CNN  

CNN — Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti told CNN on Tuesday that he would not surrender the country to what he described as a Serbian “fascist militia,” following violent protests in its north over the installation of ethnically Albanian mayors in a disputed election. “The Government of Kosovo’s decision to force access to municipal buildings sharply and unnecessarily escalated tensions,” …

Serbian leader lashes out at the West over Kosovo vote
1 year, 11 months ago

Serbian leader lashes out at the West over Kosovo vote

Associated Press  

BELGRADE, Serbia — The Serbian president on Monday sharply criticized Western officials who are mediating talks on normalizing ties with Kosovo, calling them liars and frauds, and said the Serb minority in the former Serbian province will no longer tolerate foreign “occupation.” Aleksandar Vucic spoke a day after local elections in Serb-dominated northern Kosovo that were overwhelmingly boycotted by the …

Long-serving Montenegro president to face newcomer in runoff
2 years ago

Long-serving Montenegro president to face newcomer in runoff

Associated Press  

PODGORICA, Montenegro — The long-serving incumbent will face a political newcomer in a runoff presidential election in Montenegro next month no one won in the first round of voting on Sunday held amid a political turmoil in the Balkan country, early projections showed. The presidential election came after months of political crisis and uncertainty over whether the small NATO member …

Kosovo Serbs protest to get votes in Serbia’s April election
3 years ago

Kosovo Serbs protest to get votes in Serbia’s April election

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Hundreds of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo protested Friday to pressure the government into allowing them to vote in neighboring Serbia’s April 3 general election. Demonstrators gathered in Mitrovica, 45 kilometers north of Pristina, with banners reading “We want our human rights” and “Kurti won’t drive us away from Kosovo,” and marched to a bridge that divides the …

Kosovo bans Serbian vote on constitutional changes on its soil
3 years, 2 months ago

Kosovo bans Serbian vote on constitutional changes on its soil

Al Jazeera  

Serbia will hold a referendum on Sunday on amendments to the constitution that would change how judges and prosecutors are elected. Kosovo’s Parliament has passed a resolution banning ethnic Serbs from voting on Kosovan soil in Serbia’s national referendum on constitutional amendments. Kosovo’s independence backers – the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and the EU mission – …

Kosovo governing party loses capital in runoff mayoral vote
3 years, 4 months ago

Kosovo governing party loses capital in runoff mayoral vote

Associated Press  

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s governing party suffered a heavy blow Sunday by losing the capital’s mayoral post in runoff municipal elections held in almost two-thirds of the country after center-right opposition parties dominated in the first round. The league, the center-right opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo of former independence fighters and the Alliance for Kosovo’s Future together won 21 mayoral …

Albania’s Socialists win election, gain 3rd straight mandate
3 years, 11 months ago

Albania’s Socialists win election, gain 3rd straight mandate

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albania’s left-wing Socialist Party has secured its third consecutive mandate in a parliamentary election, winning nearly one in two votes and enough seats in parliament to govern alone, electoral authorities said on Tuesday. The Central Election Commission said that with 98% of the ballots from Sunday’s voting counted, Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialists had won 49% of …

Kosovo votes for new parliament amid pandemic
4 years, 1 month ago

Kosovo votes for new parliament amid pandemic

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Kosovo is holding an early …

Kosovo votes for new parliament amid the pandemic
4 years, 1 month ago

Kosovo votes for new parliament amid the pandemic

LA Times  

A woman casts her ballot in Pristina, Kosovo, on Sunday. Kosovo is holding an early parliamentary election to form a new government amid the coronavirus pandemic, an economic downturn and stalled negotiations with wartime foe Serbia. The election was scheduled after Kosovo’s Constitutional Court rendered invalid a vote by a convicted lawmaker that helped confirm the Cabinet of Acting Prime …

Kosovo is slowly recovering from Trump’s coup
4 years, 1 month ago

Kosovo is slowly recovering from Trump’s coup

Al Jazeera  

In March 2020, under pressure from the Trump administration, the coalition government of Albin Kurti’s Movement for Self-Determination in Kosovo collapsed in what some have seen as a political coup. So with the help of Kosovo’s old political and economic elite, Special US Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo, Richard Grenell, put immense pressure on LVV’s junior coalition partner, the right-wing …

Kosovo Is In Turmoil After Coronavirus Controversy Helped Fell Its Government
5 years ago

Kosovo Is In Turmoil After Coronavirus Controversy Helped Fell Its Government

NPR  

Kosovo Is In Turmoil After Coronavirus Controversy Helped Fell Its Government Enlarge this image toggle caption Armend Nimani/AFP via Getty Images Armend Nimani/AFP via Getty Images Heading into Wednesday evening, Kosovo had already been tangled in tumult. Kosovo's ruling coalition lost a no-confidence vote called in Parliament by one of the coalition's own member parties, formally toppling the government of …

Pro-Russian Serb leader wins seat in Bosnia’s presidency
6 years, 5 months ago

Pro-Russian Serb leader wins seat in Bosnia’s presidency

Associated Press  

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Pro-Russia Serb leader Milorad Dodik won a race to fill the Serb seat in Bosnia’s three-member presidency Sunday, deepening ethnic divisions in the country that faced a brutal war some 25 years ago. “The will of the people leaves no doubt what they want,” Dodik said, adding that voters “punished” his opponent for his “servile policies …

The Latest: Partial tally has nationalist Bosnian Serb ahead
6 years, 5 months ago

The Latest: Partial tally has nationalist Bosnian Serb ahead

Associated Press  

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina — The Latest on Bosnia’s general election : 12:40 a.m. A partial vote count from Bosnia’s general election shows a Bosnian Serb nationalist leader is ahead in the race for the Serb seat in the country’s three-person presidency. ___ 11:45 p.m. Pro-Russian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has declared victory in the race to fill the Serb seat …

Kosovo: Exit poll predicts win for ruling party
14 years, 3 months ago

Kosovo: Exit poll predicts win for ruling party

The Hindu  

Prime Minister Hashim Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo won the most votes in a parliamentary election held on Sunday, an exit poll showed. According to the poll conducted by the Gani Bobi agency, the PDK claimed 31 per cent of the votes cast, ahead of Pristina Mayor Mustafa Isa’s Democratic League of Kosovo with 25 per cent. The snap election …

Kosovo votes in historic poll
14 years, 3 months ago

Kosovo votes in historic poll

The Hindu  

Kosovo voted on Sunday in its first elections since declaring independence in 2008, which look set to weaken Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's grip on power. Opinion polls ahead of the vote showed support for Mr. Thaci's PDK at 30 per cent, just two per cent ahead of its main rival the Democratic League of Kosovo led by Pristina Mayor Isa …

Deadlock in vote for Kosovo presidency
23 years, 3 months ago

Deadlock in vote for Kosovo presidency

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Members of Kosovo's new parliament …

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