Albin Kurti's party leads vote

Preliminary results in Kosovo’s parliamentary elections Sunday suggested that caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s party was nearing 50%, potentially ending the country’s long-running political deadlock.

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The Central Election Commission (CEC) said Mr Kurti’s Vetevendosje (VV) party was projected to win 49.79%, after processing about 95% of polling stations.

It was followed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) with 21.18% and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with 13.77%, the CEC added.

These figures suggest VV could secure up to about 56 of the 120 parliamentary seats — still not enough to govern alone, but stronger than first exit polls predicted.

"We must move forward as quickly as possible to establish institutions," Mr Kurti said after the preliminary results were published.

"I invite opposition parties to cooperate in the Assembly for the interest of the citizens and people of the Republic," he added.