Kosovo votes in snap election in bid to end a year of political deadlock
Al Jazeera
The Balkan nation votes again as PM Albin Kurti seeks majority to break the stalemate and form a government.
Kosovo is voting to elect a new parliament for the second time in 11 months, as nationalist Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s party seeks a majority to end a yearlong political deadlock.
Polls opened at 7am local time (06:00 GMT) and will close at 7pm (18:00 GMT) on Sunday, with exit polls expected soon after voting ends.
The snap parliamentary vote was called after Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement (LVV) party failed to form a government despite winning the most votes at a February 9 ballot.
Failure to form a government and reopen parliament would prolong the crisis at a critical time. Lawmakers must elect a new president in April and ratify 1 billion euros ($1.2bn) in loan agreements from the European Union and World Bank that expire in the coming months.
The Balkan country’s opposition parties have refused to govern with Kurti, criticising his handling of ties with Western allies and his approach to Kosovo’s ethnically divided north, where a Serb minority lives.
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