World

Kosovo's Kurti set to win snap vote, but seen short of majority to end crisis

By Fatos Bytyci Reuters
Kosovo's acting Prime Minister and Levizja Vetevendosje (Movement for Self-Determination) party leader Albin Kurti votes during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj
Kosovo's acting Prime Minister and Levizja Vetevendosje (Movement for Self-Determination) party leader Albin Kurti votes during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj Valdrin Xhemaj Reuters

tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA670607062026RP1-PREVIEW:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA670607062026RP1-STREAM:22.050:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA670607062026RP1-STREAM:48000:M4A aac



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA670607062026RP1-STREAM:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA670607062026RP1-STREAM:48000:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA670607062026RP1-STREAM:48000M:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA671407062026RP1-PREVIEW:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA671407062026RP1-STREAM:22.050:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA671407062026RP1-STREAM:48000:M4A aac



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA671407062026RP1-STREAM:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA671407062026RP1-STREAM:48000:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA671407062026RP1-STREAM:48000M:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP670607062026RP1-BASEIMAGE:960X540 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP670607062026RP1-THUMBNAIL:160X90 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP670607062026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP670607062026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:512X288 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP671407062026RP1-BASEIMAGE:960X540 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP671407062026RP1-THUMBNAIL:160X90 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP671407062026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP671407062026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:512X288 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV670607062026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV670607062026RP1-STREAM:2000:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV670607062026RP1-STREAM:5128:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV670607062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV670607062026RP1-STREAM:700:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV670607062026RP1-STREAM:8256:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV670607062026RP1-STREAM:8256M:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV670607062026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:SRT srt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV670607062026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:VTT vtt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV670607062026RP1-STREAM:SHOTLIST:JSON json



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV671407062026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV671407062026RP1-STREAM:2000:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV671407062026RP1-STREAM:5128:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV671407062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV671407062026RP1-STREAM:700:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV671407062026RP1-STREAM:8256:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV671407062026RP1-STREAM:8256M:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV671407062026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:SRT srt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV671407062026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:VTT vtt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV671407062026RP1-STREAM:SHOTLIST:JSON json



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD670607062026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I50:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD670607062026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I60:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD670607062026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD670607062026RP1-STREAM:2128:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD670607062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD525I30:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD670607062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD625I25:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD670607062026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD670607062026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:768X432 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD671407062026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I50:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD671407062026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I60:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD671407062026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD671407062026RP1-STREAM:2128:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD671407062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD525I30:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD671407062026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD625I25:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD671407062026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD671407062026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:768X432 jpegBaseline



PRISTINA - Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party was set to win Kosovo's parliamentary election on Sunday, the Balkan country's third in just 18 months, but it was unclear whether it would secure a strong enough majority to end a prolonged political crisis.

Europe's youngest and one of its poorest nations aspires to join the European Union, but has lacked a fully functioning government for much of the past year. Deep divisions in parliament have blocked the election of a speaker and then a new head of state.

Kurti's Vetevendosje party was leading with 42.3% of the vote, an exit poll published by Pipos on Klan Kosova television showed after voting closed at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT).

The party would still need coalition partners to form a new government and a compromise with rivals to secure the two-thirds majority required to elect a new president.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo was polling at 21.6%, while the Democratic League of Kosovo stood at 17.3%.

Vetevendosje won 51.1% in the last election in December, up from 42% in February 2025, but failed to agree with other parties on a candidate for the largely ceremonial presidency. That deadlock led to parliament's dissolution in April and another snap election.

VOTERS WANT END TO POLITICAL CRISIS, HIGHER LIVING STANDARDS

Turnout was 36%, down from 45% in December, the election commission said. Initial official results were expected later on Sunday.

Voters say they want an end to the stalemate and higher living standards as the economy grows.

"The political elite needs to be ready to reach an agreement. There has been a very deep division caused over recent years, and this must come to an end," said Fatos Selimi after voting in the capital Pristina.

The EU has urged politicians in Kosovo - which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 - to create strong institutions capable of delivering reforms needed for membership.

Repeated elections have delayed those reforms and the flow of EU funds.

Kurti's party first came to power in 2021 with a more nationalist, welfare-focused agenda. Like all major parties in Kosovo, it is pro-Western. It opposes further concessions to Serbia, with which relations remain strained.

Kosovo's election commission has said more than 900 candidates from 17 parties and three coalition groups are competing for seats in the 120-seat parliament.

About 2.1 million voters are registered - more than Kosovo's 1.6 million resident population, reflecting a large diaspora that is mostly based in western Europe and tends to favour Kurti's party.

(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci. Writing by Edward McAllister and Angeliki Koutantou. Editing by Aidan Lewis, Kirsten Donovan and Mark Potter)

A woman votes during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski
A woman votes during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski Ognen Teofilovski Reuters
A man walks in to vote during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski
A man walks in to vote during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski Ognen Teofilovski Reuters
A man votes during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj
A man votes during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj Valdrin Xhemaj Reuters
A woman votes during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj
A woman votes during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj Valdrin Xhemaj Reuters
A man votes during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj
A man votes during a snap parliamentary election in Pristina, Kosovo, June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj Valdrin Xhemaj Reuters

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 12:51 PM.

Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER