Most key municipalities in Kosovo are headed to runoffs, local election results show

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Preliminary results from Kosovo’s weekend municipal elections showed most key municipalities heading to runoffs, highlighting the country’s ongoing political fragmentation — and underscoring continued tensions in Kosovo-Serbia relations.

Most major Albanian-majority municipalities, including the capital Pristina, appeared headed for a runoff, according to the preliminary results released Monday. In contrast, all but one of the majority ethnic Serb municipalities were won by the Srpska Lista, the dominant Serb party seen as closely aligned with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

About 2.1 million voters in the small Balkan nation voted Sunday for mayors for 38 municipalities and about 1,000 seats on town councils. Election officials said preliminary turnout was 40%, less than four years ago and the parliamentary polls earlier this year.

According to the Central Election Commission, 21 municipalities will proceed to a runoff to be held on Nov. 9 after no candidate secured more than 50% of the vote, the threshold required to win outright.

Preliminary results for mayoral races indicate that Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s governing left-wing Self-Determination Party, or Vetevendosje!, won in just three municipalities, while most other victories went to center-right opposition parties.

The weekend vote was held as Kurti’s party also faces the challenge of forming a new Cabinet, and the lack of decisive victories suggests a challenging path for him ahead on that front as well.

Not having a Cabinet is detrimental to the country as it seeks greater involvement from the European Union in developing its economy and helping it on its path toward the EU membership it seeks.

The local vote came just two days after Kosovo’s Parliament ended an eight-month political stalemate by completing the election of its full leadership, including a representative from the ethnic Serb minority.

On Saturday, the acting prime minister was officially tasked with forming a new Cabinet within 15 days — a process further complicated by Sunday’s local election results, as major opposition parties have so far declined to enter coalition talks.

Kosovo’s independence remains a flashpoint in the Balkans. About 11,400 people were killed, mostly ethnic Albanians, in the 1998–1999 war that ended after a NATO air campaign drove Serbian forces out. While most Western countries recognize Kosovo’s statehood, Serbia, supported by Russia and China, does not.

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Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.