Initial results show Kurti's party wins most votes in Kosovo's early election

Updated on Jun 7, 2026 4:04 PM EDT — Published on

Jun 7, 2026 2:05 PM EDT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party won the most votes in an early parliamentary election in Kosovo on Sunday, early results showed. But it remained unclear whether the outcome will bring an end to a political impasse in the small Balkan nation seeking to move closer to the European Union and NATO.

The vote was Kosovo's third in less than 18 months. It was scheduled after the main political parties failed to agree by a March deadline on who should replace former President Vjosa Osmani. The first inconclusive election in February 2025 left the country without a functioning government for much of last year, forcing a second election in December.

Kurti's ruling Vetevendosje party won around 43% of the votes followed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo with 21,7% and the Democratic League of Kosovo with 18%, the state election authorities said after counting nearly 90% of the ballots cast on Sunday. The final tally also will need to include some 100,000 votes of Kosovars living abroad.