Exit polls show incumbent PM Albin Kurti's party in lead in Kosovo legislative elections

euronews (in English)

Kosovans headed to the polls against a backdrop of a stagnant economy and renewed ethnic tensions but the Central Election Commission says turnout was low.

Transcript

00:00Preliminary results from Kosovo's legislative elections showing incumbent Prime Minister

00:06Albin Kurti's party in the lead, but short of the majority needed to govern alone.

00:12With 73% of the votes counted, Kurti's leftist self-determination movement party has won

00:18almost 42% of the vote.

00:20Speaking to the press, Kurti said the results confirmed his party was fit to govern.

00:25We are in the lead and this is a confirmation of our good, democratic and progressive government.

00:36Thank you very much.

00:38Did you get 500,000?

00:40Of course, our coalition will form a new government, Kurti III, and in this way we will continue

00:56with the work we have started, but also many others that we are working on.

01:03Kurti has antagonized Western powers after his cabinet took steps that raised tensions

01:08with Serbia and Kosovo's ethnic Serbs.

01:11That included a ban on the use of the Serbian currency and transfers from Serbia to Kosovo's

01:16ethnic Serb minority that depend on Belgrade's social services and payments.

01:21The US, the EU and the NATO-led peacekeeping force urged the government in Pristina to

01:26refrain from unilateral actions that could stoke ethnic tensions.

01:31Brussels also suspended funding for some projects and set de-escalation conditions for their

01:37gradual resumption.

01:39Kosovo is one of the poorest countries in Europe with an annual GDP per capita of under

01:446,000 euros.

01:46All parties made pledges to increase public salaries and pensions and improve education

01:51and health services.

01:53However, they didn't explain where the money would come from nor how they would attract

01:57more foreign investment.

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