Kosovo holds municipal elections with the governing party aiming for Pristina city hall

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PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo is holding municipal elections on Sunday, with the governing left-wing Self-Determination Movement, or Vetevendosje!, seeking to capture the capital’s city hall amid lingering political tensions and strained relations with Serbia.

About 2.1 million registered voters are choosing mayors and in 38 municipalities and around 1,000 local council members. Preliminary results are expected by midnight, though many municipalities are likely to head to runoffs in about a month, as in previous polls.

The most closely watched race is in the capital, Pristina, where former culture minister Hajrulla Çeku of Vetevendosje! is challenging incumbent Perparim Rama from the conservative Kosovo Democratic League.

Vetevendosje! aims to build on its showing in February's parliamentary election, when it won 48 seats in the 120-member legislature, still short of a governing majority.

Voting in the Serb-majority north draws particular attention, where Srpska Lista, the dominant Serb party seen as closely aligned with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, is expected to maintain control of most of its strongholds.

The European Union–facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia remains stalled. The two neighbors have remained at odds since Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move Serbia still refuses to recognize.

The local vote comes just two days after Kosovo’s Parliament ended an eight-month political stalemate by completing the election of its full leadership, including a representative from the ethnic Serb minority.

On Saturday, acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Vetevendosje!’s leader, was tasked with forming a new Cabinet within 15 days — a challenge as other major parties have so far declined to enter coalition talks.

Kurti faces pressure to stabilize domestic politics, address economic challenges and revive EU-mediated normalization talks with Serbia.

Kosovo’s independence remains a flashpoint in the Balkans. About 11,400 people were killed, mostly ethnic Albanians, in the 1998–1999 war that ended after a NATO air campaign drove Serbian forces out. While most Western countries recognize Kosovo’s statehood, Serbia, supported by Russia and China, does not.

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Semini reported from Tirana, Albania