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Summary
Kosovo voted on Sunday for the first time since its 2008 unilateral declaration of independence, with early exit polls showing the party of Prime Minister Hashim Thaci remaining the largest in parliament. Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has claimed victory in the country's first parliamentary vote since declaring unilateral independence from Serbia. He addressed supporters hours after an exit poll gave Mr Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) 31% of the vote.Its main rival and ex-junior coalition partner, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), was second with 25%.If the results are confirmed, Mr Thaci will need support from other parties to form a government.The newcomer Self-Determination Party, led by student activist-turned-politician Albin Kurti, was in third place with 16%.In a speech broadcast on Kosovo state TV, Mr Thaci said his party had won a major victory for democratic and Euro-Atlantic values. Today, the will of Kosovo citizens spoke and decided clearly, today European Kosovo spoke, today Euro-Atlantic Kosovo spoke.The Central Election Commission said the overall turnout was 48%, according to the AFP news agency, compared to 40% at the last elections in 2007. The commission's head, Valdete Daka, said the voting process had been a success. There have been technical hitches that have not hurt the process, she said. The ethnic Albanian majority and small Serb minority remain largely estranged in Kosovo, more than a decade after a Nato-led conflict broke Serbia's control. Belgrade has not recognised Kosovo's independence and most Serbs were expected to boycott the elections.
