Elections mark early test for Kosovo

Kosovo’s political progress is to be put to the test this weekend with its first parliamentary elections since declaring independence nearly three years ago.

Current Prime Minister Hashim Thaci was forced to call Sunday’s vote after his coalition collapsed last month. He will have to battle hard to keep his job, with polls showing a close race is on the cards.

Among his election promises are significant pay rises for state workers and negotiating a deal allowing Kosovars to travel to the EU without a visa.

But nearly half of the working population is unemployed and around three quarters say that Kosovo is a more corrupt place since Thaci took power.

That has given his direct rival Isa Mustafa plenty of ammunition; he has been campaigning on a pledge to get more people into work and tackle organised crime and corruption.

Mustafa’s LDK party was trailing Thaci’s PDK by just two percent in the latest polls, although no party looks likely to win a majority.

Although most Western countries recognise Kosovan independence, that is not the case among the ethnic-Serb minority. Yet pro-Serb parties may have to play a role in the next coalition if it is to succeed in dealing with Serbia and advance along the road of eventual EU membership.

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