Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, whose PDK party won snap parliamentary elections at the weekend, began the search on Monday for coalition partners to provide him with a third mandate. Based on more than 94 percent of votes counted, Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) had 31 percent of the vote, the electoral commission results website showed. The main opposition party, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), was on 26 percent.
"This is a victory for Kosovo... that showed that our state is ready to fulfil new dreams," Thaci told several hundred supporters in downtown Pristina early on Monday. But the ex-guerilla chief, who has dominated politics since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, will need to find coalition partners to form a government after failing to gain enough MPs in the 120-seat parliament to rule alone.
During the campaign, the three largest opposition parties had said they would not form a coalition with the PDK, following public discontent in Europe's poorest country over high unemployment and rampant corruption. "There is no absolute winner of the elections. All remains open regarding formation of Kosovo's new government," commented the influential Koha Ditore daily on Monday.
"Those who were claiming that they will go into coalition (with PDK) now might find an excuse" to change their mind, the paper said. The election passed off peacefully with Serbs in Kosovo's restive northern region taking part for the first time in a general election, which could give a boost to the country's hopes of starting EU accession talks.
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