PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The Latest on Kosovo’s general election (all times local):

An exit poll for Klan Kosovo TV station has put the coalition of former ethnic Albanian rebel commanders first with 40 percent of the vote, the nationalists of the Movement for Self-determination came in second with 30 percent while the coalition led by former prime minister Isa Mustafa is third with 27 percent of the vote.

The poll asked 2,500 voters outside polling stations and its organizer said its margin of error was 1.5 percent.

Blerand Stavileci, spokesman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, one of the coalition partners, invited supporters to a winning rally at the Skanderbeg Square in the capital, Pristina.

Kosovo citizens have started to cast their ballots in an early general election for the new 120-seat parliament.

At stake are thorny issues of the border demarcation deal with Montenegro that brought down the previous government, the approval of another deal with Serbia giving more rights to the ethnic Serb minority and the continuation of fraught talks with Belgrade, which denies Kosovo’s existence as a state.

Among the contenders are a coalition of three major parties run by former rebel commanders, another one led by Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s party and the Self-Determination Movement, the biggest opposition party to shun pre-election coalitions.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It is recognized by 114 countries, including the United States and most of the EU members.</s>Nearly complete results in Kosovo's national election are showing that a coalition of ethnic Albanian former leaders of a war of independence against Serbian troops in 1998-1999 is leading with a third of the vote.

The Central Election Commission reported mid-afternoon Monday that the ex-rebels' coalition came in first with around 34 percent of the vote. With almost 98 percent of votes counted, the nationalist Movement for Self-determination had about 27 percent, a point ahead of a coalition led by former Prime Minister Isa Mustafa.

No group can govern alone and a coalition is likely.

Final results for the new 120-seat parliament are expected later in the week. Twenty seats in parliament are reserved for ethnic Serbs and other minorities.

Commission head Valdete Daka said that due to "heavy traffic of more than 2 million clicks" the institution's webpage was temporarily blocked Monday morning. She added that officials are working to produce final results, likely later this week.

Ramush Haradinaj, 48, the leading coalition's nominee to be prime minister, told supporters at a midnight rally in Pristina that "we know that there is a lot of work ahead of us. But we are going to achieve it together."

The Movement for Self-determination also celebrated the results, which saw the party double its share of the vote. The party has been a disruptive force, releasing tear gas in the previous parliament while its supporters threw firebombs outside to protest contentious deals with Montenegro and Serbia.

The party has nominated its former leader, 42-year-old Albin Kurti, as candidate for prime minister.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the victory of hard-liners in the Kosovo elections will create "a lot of difficulties and problems," but added that the European Union-mediated dialogue with Kosovo must continue.

The Serbian leaders consider Haradinaj a war criminal and failed to get him extradited earlier this year from France where he was detained on a Serbian arrest warrant.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said he hopes that Kosovo's representatives understand that "a future perspective, in terms of more and better living conditions, is only achievable embedded into the European Union."

"It's now the responsibility of political leaders in the country to form — very fast hopefully — a new government ... it's so important for this country to stay committed to the reforms."

Any government will face a number of thorny issues, including approving a border demarcation deal with Montenegro Brussels insists Kosovo's parliament must approve the deal signed in 2015 as a condition for adding Kosovo to western Balkan countries whose citizens don't need visas to enter the EU's Schengen zone.

A further issue is the prospect of former ethnic Albanian senior rebel commanders facing prosecution in the newly established war crimes court. The court in The Hague is expected to shortly issue indictments for crimes committed against civilians during and after the 1998-1999 war with Serbia.</s>PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Voters in Kosovo were casting their ballots Sunday in an early general election for the new 120-seat parliament.

At stake are thorny issues including a border demarcation deal with Montenegro that brought down the previous government, and the approval of another deal with Serbia giving more rights to the ethnic Serb minority.

The continuation of fraught talks with Belgrade — which denies Kosovo’s existence as a state — is also a key concern.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The new state has been recognized by 114 countries, including the United States and most of the EU members, but not by Belgrade.

Nineteen political parties, five coalitions and two citizens’ initiatives, all promising to secure economic growth and ease Kosovars’ travel restrictions to the European Union, have nominated candidates.

Among the contenders is a coalition of three major parties run by former rebel commanders. They have proposed Ramush Haradinaj, still regarded by Serbia as a war criminal, as prime minister.

Others include Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s party, which nominates former finance Minister Avdullah Hoti for leadership, and the Self-Determination Movement, the biggest opposition party to shun pre-election coalitions, which put forward their founder Albin Kurti as a candidate for prime minister.

Ethnic Serbs and other minorities have 20 out of 120 seats in the parliament.

Valdete Daka, head of the Central Election Commission that manages the electoral process, called on Kosovars to vote “to show to the world we are part of democracy and know how to hold elections properly” after casting her ballot at a polling station in the capital, Pristina.

“I invite all citizens, regardless of their political or ethnic affiliation, to take part in the election and vote for their future,” said President Hashim Thaci.

Local and international observers are monitoring the vote.

“My expectations are for free fair election in Kosovo,” said U.S. Ambassador Greg Delawie at a polling station.

Kosovo is the only western Balkan country whose citizens need visas to enter the EU’s Schengen zone. To join, Brussels insists Kosovo’s parliament must first approve a border demarcation deal signed with Montenegro in 2015.

Opposition parties say that deal meant a loss of territory, over 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres), or less than 1 percent of Kosovo’s land. The former Cabinet, international experts and the country’s Western backers dispute that claim.

The Self-Determination Movement and others also oppose another deal signed in 2015 that gave more rights to the ethnic Serb minority.

A further issue is the prospect of former ethnic Albanian senior rebel commanders facing prosecution in the newly established war crimes court. The court in The Hague is expected to shortly issue indictments for crimes committed against civilians during and after the 1998-1999 war with Serbia.

Preliminary results are expected around an hour after the voting ends at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT), according to Daka.</s>MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The center-right coalition brings together of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), which is close to Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) of Ramush Haradinaj, the country’s prime minister candidate and former prime minister.

The CEC data also showed that outgoing Prime Minister Isa Mustafa's Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) gained 25.8 percent of votes and was followed by the opposition Self-Determination Movement (VV) with 25 percent of votes.

On May 10, the Kosovo Assembly voted to dismiss the government of Mustafa in a no-confidence motion, as the current government failed to implement political pledges. The initiative passed with 78 votes in favor, 34 against and three abstentions, paving the way for a snap election. Following the vote, Thaci dissolved the parliament and on May 11, set the date for the early vote.

Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognized by over 100 UN member states. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence.</s>PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The Latest on Kosovo’s general election (all times local):

An exit poll for Klan Kosovo TV station has put the coalition of former ethnic Albanian rebel commanders first with 40 percent of the vote, the nationalists of the Movement for Self-determination came in second with 30 percent while the coalition led by former prime minister Isa Mustafa is third with 27 percent of the vote.

The poll asked 2,500 voters outside polling stations and its organizer said its margin of error was 1.5 percent.

Blerand Stavileci, spokesman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, one of the coalition partners, invited supporters to a winning rally at the Skanderbeg Square in the capital, Pristina.

Kosovo citizens have started to cast their ballots in an early general election for the new 120-seat parliament.

At stake are thorny issues of the border demarcation deal with Montenegro that brought down the previous government, the approval of another deal with Serbia giving more rights to the ethnic Serb minority and the continuation of fraught talks with Belgrade, which denies Kosovo’s existence as a state.

Among the contenders are a coalition of three major parties run by former rebel commanders, another one led by Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s party and the Self-Determination Movement, the biggest opposition party to shun pre-election coalitions.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It is recognized by 114 countries, including the United States and most of the EU members.</s>The new government will have to tackle unemployment running at 30 percent and improve relations with its neighbours.

Voters in Kosovo have begun casting their ballots in a snap parliamentary election overshadowed by concerns over the economy and tensions with neighbouring Serbia.

Sunday's poll takes place a year early following the collapse of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa's cabinet last month, which ended Kosovo's first grand coalition.

About 1.9 million Kosovars, of which nearly half a million live abroad, are registered to vote in the third election since the country declared independence in 2008. Polling stations opened at 7am (05:00 GMT) and will close at 7pm (17:00).

Nineteen political parties, five coalitions and two citizens' initiatives, all promising to secure growth, have nominated candidates for the 120-seat parliament.

The new government will have to tackle unemployment running at 30 percent and improve relations with its neighbours, especially Serbia, a pre-condition for both countries to move forward in the European Union accession process.

Mustafa's government lost a no-confidence vote in March, accused by the opposition of failing to meet its pledges to improve the lives of the youngest population in Europe.

Opinion polls put a coalition led by former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj as the frontrunner.

His small Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) party signed a pre-election deal with the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the biggest in the country and in power since 2007.

A victory for Haradinaj, however, would probably complicate relations with Serbia, which has issued an international warrant for his arrest for alleged war crimes.

A coalition led Mustafa's Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the leftist opposition party Vetevendosje (VV) which wants to unite all Albanians in one state are vying for second place in the vote, according to opinion polls.

In a calm election campaign, almost all the political parties promised to boost economic growth to up to eight percent a year and to raise public sector wages by up to 40 percent.

Kosovo's economy has been growing steadily and is forecast to expand around four percent in 2017 but the growth is mainly down to remittances from Kosovars living abroad.

The new government will also have to try to strike a border demarcation deal with Montenegro, which is the last condition for the EU to grant visa-free travel for Kosovars.

Neighbours Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia have already secured visa-free travel with EU member states.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008, nine years after NATO bombing drove out Serbian forces accused of killing and expelling Kosovo Albanian civilians during two years of clashes. Serbia still refuses to recognise its independence.</s>Albin Kurti, candidate for prime minister from the opposition party "Vetevendosje," raises his hand as a pro-vote during the closing election campaign rally in Kosovo capital Pristina Friday, June 9, 2017.

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Voters in Kosovo were casting their ballots Sunday in an early general election for the new 120-seat parliament.

At stake are thorny issues including a border demarcation deal with Montenegro that brought down the previous government, and the approval of another deal with Serbia giving more rights to the ethnic Serb minority.

The continuation of fraught talks with Belgrade — which denies Kosovo's existence as a state — is also a key concern.

 Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The new state has been recognized by 114 countries, including the United States and most of the EU members, but not by Belgrade.

Nineteen political parties, five coalitions and two citizens' initiatives, all promising to secure economic growth and ease Kosovars' travel restrictions to the European Union, have nominated candidates.

Among the contenders is a coalition of three major parties run by former rebel commanders. They have proposed Ramush Haradinaj, still regarded by Serbia as a war criminal, as prime minister.

Others include Prime Minister Isa Mustafa's party, which nominates former finance Minister Avdullah Hoti for leadership, and the Self-Determination Movement, the biggest opposition party to shun pre-election coalitions, which put forward their founder Albin Kurti as a candidate for prime minister.

Ethnic Serbs and other minorities have 20 out of 120 seats in the parliament.

Valdete Daka, head of the Central Election Commission that manages the electoral process, called on Kosovars to vote "to show to the world we are part of democracy and know how to hold elections properly" after casting her ballot at a polling station in the capital, Pristina.

"I invite all citizens, regardless of their political or ethnic affiliation, to take part in the election and vote for their future," said President Hashim Thaci.

Local and international observers are monitoring the vote.

"My expectations are for free fair election in Kosovo," said U.S. Ambassador Greg Delawie at a polling station.

 Kosovo is the only western Balkan country whose citizens need visas to enter the EU's Schengen zone. To join, Brussels insists Kosovo's parliament must first approve a border demarcation deal signed with Montenegro in 2015.

Opposition parties say that deal meant a loss of territory, over 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres), or less than 1 percent of Kosovo's land. The former Cabinet, international experts and the country's Western backers dispute that claim.

The Self-Determination Movement and others also oppose another deal signed in 2015 that gave more rights to the ethnic Serb minority.

A further issue is the prospect of former ethnic Albanian senior rebel commanders facing prosecution in the newly established war crimes court. The court in The Hague is expected to shortly issue indictments for crimes committed against civilians during and after the 1998-1999 war with Serbia.

Preliminary results are expected around an hour after the voting ends at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT), according to Daka.

 

 Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.</s>PRISTINA, Kosovo >> The coalition of former ethnic Albanian rebel commanders won the most votes Sunday in Kosovo’s general election, which also saw a surge in popularity for a nationalist party, according to preliminary results.

The ex-rebels came in first with around 35 percent of the vote. The nationalist Self-Determination Movement was neck-and-neck with the coalition led by former Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, which had around 26 percent each after the counting of about 70 percent of the votes, according to Democracy in Action, a monitoring group.

No group can govern alone and coalitions will be likely.

The new Cabinet will have a tough job in resolving several thorny issues, including the border demarcation deal with Montenegro. The approval of another agreement with Serbia giving more rights to the ethnic Serb minority, and the continuation of fraught talks with Belgrade, which denies Kosovo’s existence as a state, were also key concerns.

Ramush Haradinaj, whom the leading coalition has nominated to be prime minister, hailed Kosovars “for the trust given to the coalition,” adding “these are the best elections ever held” in Kosovo.

“The victory is convincing and make us capable of operating further to create the country’s government,” he said.

The final results for the new 120-seat parliament are expected later in the week. Ethnic Serbs and other minorities have 20 out of 120 seats in the parliament.

Self-Determination Movement officials celebrated the results, which saw the party double its share of the vote. The party has been a disruptive force in the previous parliament and is the biggest opposition party to shun pre-election coalitions. The party’s members and supporters released tear gas inside parliament and threw firebombs outside it to protest the contentious deals with Montenegro and Serbia.

The party has nominated its former leader, 42-year-old Albin Kurti, as a candidate for prime minister.

If elected, the party says it “is the only one which is going to fight corruption in a successful way,” send former officials to jail, end the current talks with Serbia while seeking a closer union with neighboring Albania.

Kosovo’s election authorities say that preliminary figures put turnout in the country’s general election at 41.79 percent.

Central Election Commission head Valdete Daka says that “there have been no problems that would gravely damage the process.”

The turnout is smaller than in the previous polls, for example in 2014, when it was 42.63 percent.

Kosovo is the only western Balkan country whose citizens need visas to enter the EU’s Schengen zone. To join, Brussels insists Kosovo’s parliament must first approve a border demarcation deal signed with Montenegro in 2015.

Opposition parties say that deal meant a loss of territory, over 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres), or less than 1 percent of Kosovo’s land. The former Cabinet, international experts and the country’s Western backers dispute that claim.

The Self-Determination Movement and others also oppose another deal signed in 2015 that gave more rights to the ethnic Serb minority.

A further issue is the prospect of former ethnic Albanian senior rebel commanders facing prosecution in the newly established war crimes court. The court in The Hague is expected to shortly issue indictments for crimes committed against civilians during and after the 1998-1999 war with Serbia.</s>PRISTINA -- The ruling center-right Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) was heading toward victory in the country's snap parliamentary elections, but it seems unlikely to win enough seats to govern even with its planned coalition partners.

The June 11 vote also confirmed the strong rise of the leftist Self-Determination Movement (VV) party, which nearly doubled its support since the last election and looked set to finish second in the overall vote.

With more than 90 percent of the ballots counted, the coalition headed by the PDK of President Hashim Thaci was leading with 34.65 percent of the vote, according to the Central Election Committee.

The PDK coalition includes former prime minister and rebel leader Ramush Haradinaj's Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK).

The nationalist VV, also known as Vetevendosje, had 26.59 percent of the vote, just ahead of a coalition led by outgoing Prime Minister Isa Mustafa's Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with 25.82 percent.

If those results are borne out, no single group would be able to govern alone, making further coalition attempts likely.

Final distribution of seats is unlikely to come before June 12 or even later in the week, official have said. Turnout was put at 41.79 percent.

Albert Krasniqi from Democracy In Action, a coalition of nongovernmental organization monitoring the elections, said voting took place peacefully. The head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Jan Braathu, said the process “seems to be going smoothly.”

PDK and VV voters took to the streets to celebrate in Pristina, Kosovo's capital.

This was the country’s third election since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move recognized by 114 countries, but not by Serbia and Russia.

Haradinaj, the PDK-led coalition’s candidate for prime minister, declared victory during a press conference in Pristina, though he did not provide specific numbers.

"The coalition's victory is very convincing," he said.

WATCH: Voters in the town of Gracanica cast ballots in Kosovo's early parliamentary elections on June 11. Gracanica is the home to a medieval Serbian Orthodox monastery and is one of the centers of the Serb minority in Kosovo. (RFE/RL's Balkan Service)

The PDK coalition, with a large number of former guerrilla fighters, has been dubbed the "war wing" by Kosovo's media.

If Haradinaj does assume the prime minister role, it would complicate relations with neighboring Serbia, which has issued an international arrest warrant against him on suspicion of committing war crimes when he was a guerrilla fighter during Kosovo’s 1998-99 independence war.

Haradinaj, 48, has been tried twice and acquitted of war crimes at the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. Haradinaj was elected prime minister of Kosovo in 2004 but resigned after 100 days in order to surrender himself for trial in The Hague. He has denied all charges.

His coalition and allies appeared unlikely to get the 51 seats in the 120-member parliament needed to govern.

Parliamentary rules reserve 20 seats for ethnic Serbs and other minorities. The PDK is looking to form a coalition with the 10 deputies representing the non-Serb minorities, including ethnic Turks and Roma.

Any new cabinet will have a tough job dealing with many problems facing the country, which is predominantly populated by ethnic Albanians.

Many of Kosovo's 1.8 million inhabitants blame politicians from all sides for a stubbornly high unemployment rate that hovers around one-third of the workforce despite solid economic expansion of about 4 percent annually in one of the poorest countries in Europe.

Other key priorities the next government faces include establishing better control over privatization and creating a functioning war crimes court and prosecution office, which would start the process of sidelining wartime leaders from political and public life.

Yet the biggest issues surrounding the vote are a pair of agreements signed in 2015: one setting the border with Montenegro and another with Serbia that increases powers held by ethnic Serbs in Kosovo.

Those issues have helped stalled reforms in the legislature and angered the electorate in a country where about one-third of the population is under the age of 15.

“For more than a year we didn't have a functional government, and now I don’t trust them,” said Islam Fehmiu, a retiree from the capital, Pristina.

“Parliament couldn't finish its sessions. I have very low hopes. The preelection coalitions are looking out only for their own interests and I absolutely think they won’t solve ongoing issues such as border demarcation with Montenegro,” Fehmiu added.

The election marked the rise of the Self-Determination Movement, which was a disruptive opposition force in the previous parliament and would make any coalition-building difficult. VV party supporters at one time released tear gas inside parliament and threw firebombs outside it to protest the deals with Montenegro and Serbia.



Albin Kurti, the party's candidate for prime minister, said the VV would fight corruption, jail former officials, end talks with Serbia, and seek a closer union with neighboring Albania.

With reporting by Alan Crosby and Amra Zejneli in Pristina, and Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels, AP, BBC, and Reuters</s>Pristina: Kosovars vote on Sunday in a snap parliamentary election, hoping to elect a government that can improve the Balkan state`s impoverished economy and make progress in joining the European Union.

About 1.9 million Kosovars, nearly half a million of whom live abroad, are registered to vote in the third election since Kosovo declared independence in 2008.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (05:00 GMT) and will close at 7 p.m.

The new government will have to tackle unemployment running at 30 percent and improve relations with its neighbours, especially Serbia, a pre-condition for both countries to move forward in the European Union accession process.

The West sees the integration of the Western Balkan countries in the European Union as a way to stabilise a region still recovering from wars in the 1990s.

“Those who were in power should not come again, they are incriminated too much. They want to stay because they have created a lot of privileges for themselves,” said Hasan Visoka, 62, after voting in a school in the capital, Pristina.

“Nothing will change. It doesn`t matter who comes to power, we`ll continue to be poor, without a future,” said Arta Kelmendi, 28, after voting.

Early elections were called in May when the government of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa lost a no-confidence vote, accused by the opposition of failing to meet pledges to improve the lives of the youngest population in Europe.

Opinion polls put a coalition led by former prime minister Ramush Haradinaj as the frontrunner. His small Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) party signed a pre-election deal with the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the biggest in the country and in power since 2007.

A victory for Haradinaj, however, would probably complicate relations with Serbia, which has issued an international warrant for his arrest for war crimes.

A coalition led Mustafa`s Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the leftist opposition party Vetevendosje (VV), which wants to unite all Albanians in one state, are vying for second place in the vote, according to opinion polls.

In a calm election campaign, almost all political parties promised to boost economic growth to up to 8 percent a year and to raise public sector wages by up to 40 percent.

"These economic promises will not materialise without foreign investment or building new economic capacities that will lower unemployment," analyst Imer Mushkolaj said.

"Unemployment and poverty are the main problems in Kosovo`s society."

Kosovo`s economy has been growing steadily and is forecast to expand by about four percent in 2017 but the growth is mainly down to remittances from some one million Kosovars living abroad.

The new government will also have to try to strike a border demarcation deal with Montenegro, which is the last condition for the European Union to grant visa-free travel for Kosovars.

Neighbours Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia have already secured visa-free travel with EU member states.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008, nine years after NATO bombing drove out Serbian forces accused of killing and expelling Kosovo Albanian civilians during a two-year counter-insurgency. Serbia still refuses to recognise its independence.
Voters in Kosovo go to the polls for a snap election to replace the government of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, who was removed from office in a no-confidence motion last month.