Democratic League of Kosovo

Who will form the new government in Kosovo remains unclear, after the results of the 11 June elections failed to grant immediate power to any one political entity or coalition.

A grand coalition of 14 parties, headed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, and the Initiative for Kosovo, NISMA, came first in the Kosovo snap elections held on Sunday.

Photo: Reuters (2012)

A coalition led by the ruling centre-right Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) came first in Kosovo's snap parliamentary election yesterday, but it will have to find a coalition partner to form a stable government, results based on a partial vote count showed.

According to election observer group Democracy in Action, DnV, with 87.31 per cent of the polling stations counted, the grand coalition headed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, and the Initiative for Kosovo, NISMA, is leading with 33 per cent of votes.

From 8am, 1, 872, 941 citizens can vote in Kosovo. The  Central Election Commission, CEC confirmed that on Sunday, 889 polling stations will be open, which is 91 more than in the last elections in 2014.

According to the CEC there are over 118,000 voters who can participate in elections for the first time, while more than 29,000 observers will be on duty. 

A draft law to recriminalise defamation, proposed earlier this year and strongly opposed by journalists and civil society groups, has divided candidates from the coalition between the Kosovo Democratic Party, PDK, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK and the Initiative for Kosovo, NISMA, which are running together in the June 11 polls.

Kosovo's ruling parties have been accused of trying to secure much more than their fair share of media coverage in the general election.

Kosovo MP Fatmir Limaj appeared in court as the main defendant in a corruption case on Tuesday, at the same moment that the Central Election Commission was in the process of certifying candidate lists that include his name.

A grand coalition between the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, led by Kadri Veseli, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, led by Ramush Haradinaj and Fatmir Limaj's initiative for Kosovo, NISMA, was agreed on Tuesday night - minutes before the deadline set by the Central Election Commission, CEC, to establish pre-election coalitions expired.

While the candidates of Kosovo's two main parties - the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, and the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK - for the post of Prime Minister remain unknown, it has become clear that neither Prime Minister Isa Mustafa nor President Hashim Thaci, will not contend for the post in the early election due on June 11.