Voters in Kosovo are going to the polls on Sunday to cast their ballots in early parliamentary elections to form a new government which will put an end to ten months of political deadlock.

The Central Election Commission, CEC, announced that around 8.3 percent of voters had already cast their ballots by 11:00, a slightly lower figure than the to 8.58 percent recorded for the same period during the regular elections held on February 9.

Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. and will close at 7:00 p.m., with voting taking place in 910 polling centres and 2,557 polling stations nationwide. 

After casting his vote, Albin Kurti, the prime ministerial candidate of the Vetëvendosje Movement, LVV, expressed hope for high voter participation, saying that, “greater turnout would improve the quality of the elections and strengthen the legitimacy of institutions.”

Lumir Abdixhiku, the candidate of the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, called on citizens to vote “for Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic future.”

Bedri Hamza, the prime ministerial candidate of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, urged voters to cast their ballots “according to their convictions and will.”

Ramush Haradinaj, the candidate of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, also appealed to citizens to “go out and exercise their right to vote.”

In North Mitrovica, group of voters went to the polling station early in the morning in an organised manner, a practice commonly seen in the past. The leader of the Belgrade- backed party Srpska Lista, Zlatan Elek, said he expects the parliamentary elections “to be calm and democratic,” and called on citizens to “turn out in large numbers and vote for their representatives.”

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A total of 24 political entities are competing in the elections, including 18 political parties, three pre-election coalitions, two civic initiatives, and one independent candidate. The CEC has certified 1,146 candidates for seats in the Assembly of Kosovo.

Around 100 prosecutors and support staff have been deployed to help ensure the integrity of the electoral process. 

CEC spokesperson Valmir Elezi confirmed that all polling stations opened as planned.

The Assembly of Kosovo has 120 seats, with 61 mandates required to secure a parliamentary majority and form a government. 

Members of the Kosovo diaspora also participated in the elections. A large number of diaspora travelled to Kosovo to take part in the polls, while others cast their ballots one day earlier at Kosovo’s diplomatic missions abroad.