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PRISTINA - Kosovo's ruling Vetevendosje party is on track to come first in a parliamentary election on Sunday, but it will need to negotiate with potential coalition partners to form the government, an exit poll showed.
The result, if confirmed, puts Prime Minister Albin Kurti in a position to lead the next government in the small Balkan country, whose politics are dominated by the relationship with neighbouring Serbia and Serbs within the country.
Kurti, a leftist and Albanian nationalist, came to power in 2021 when a coalition run by the Vetevendosje party received more than 50% of votes and secured a seven-seat majority in the 120-seat parliament.
This time, Vetevendosje is set to win 38.2% of the vote, according to the exit poll on Klan Kosova TV. The opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo is set to come second with 22.4% of the votes, with the Democratic League of Kosovo winning 20.1%.
Kosovo, Europe's newest country, gained independence from Serbia in 2008 with backing from the United States after a 78-day NATO bombing campaign against Serbian forces in 1999.
Political analysts say Kurti's popularity has been bolstered by moves to extend government control in Kosovo's ethnic Serb-majority north. But critics say he has failed to deliver on education and health services, and that his policies have distanced Kosovo from its traditional allies, the European Union and the United States.
The EU placed economic curbs on the country in 2023 for its role in stoking tensions with ethnic Serbs, cutting at least 150 million euros ($155 million) in funding, Reuters has found.
The centre-right Democratic League of Kosovo campaigned on restoring relations with the United States and the EU, and joining NATO.
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