More than half of Kosovo’s 38 mayors will be decided in runoffs next month, following Sunday’s local elections.
Preliminary results showed that only 17 candidates were able to gain more than 50 percent of the votes in their constituencies. In the remaining 21 municipalities, voters will head to polls for a second time to choose between the two most voted candidates.
Ruling Vetevendosje, the party of prime minister Albin Kurti, was unable to win any municipalities in the first round.
Serbian parties won in all 10 municipalities inhabited by a Serbian majority.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), formerly headed by Hashim Thaci, won in 5 municipalities, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) got 2 municipalities and Ramush Haradinaj’s Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) got 2 municipalities in the first round.
During the second round, expected to be held next month, voters will choose 21 mayors, voting between the two candidates who gained the most votes in the first round. Vetevendosje will run in 12 districts, PDK and LDK in 8, and AAK in 5.
About 798 thousand (42,74 percent) of 1,86 million eligible voters cast their vote on Sunday in Kosovo.
