Kosovo Ruling Party Loses Ground in Municipal Elections

In a blow after its meteoric rise eight months ago, Kosovo's ruling Vetevendosje party will have to wait for the second round of local elections to see whether it has won control of any of the country's 38 municipalities.

As the count in Sunday's elections came to a close, Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party had not won any municipality outright in the first round, and will go to a run-off in four of the seven big municipalities - the capital, Prishtine/Pristina, Prizren, Gjakove/Djakovica and Gjilan/Gnjilane.

In total, 21 out of 38 municipalities will hold a second round of voting to elect mayors.

A Vetevendosje MP, Fitore Pacolli, predicted more gains in round two and applauded the calm election, which ran smoothly and saw only minor incidents reported during the day.

"We have shown that we are an example for the entire region in our ability to organise elections without incidents and deviations from citizens' will," Pacolli said.

"We will win everywhere we are in the runoff. Compared to the last municipal elections in 2017, when our party came third, we are now the most voted one," she added.

Vetevendosje [Self-Determination] was in opposition when it scored a landslide win in legislative elections earlier this year, becoming the first party since Kosovo broke away from Serbia in 1999 to win more than half of all the votes cast.

On Sunday, the former ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, declared victory in Mitrovica South, Ferizaj/Urosevac, Skenderaj/Srbica and Hani i Elezit/Djeneral Jankovic.

"Today, citizens showed their great dissatisfaction with the work of Albin Kurti's government in the first eight months of its existence. For us, a new beginning is starting by unifying with citizens to stop the...