- Title: Voters in Pristina say happy with Kosovo poll after opposition claim victory
- Date: 7th October 2019
- Summary: CITY WORKERS CLEANING STREETS (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) 62-YEAR-OLD STREET CLEANER, HESET BERISHA, SAYING: "I am happy with the elections. I am 62 years old and I don't remember better elections than those of yesterday." PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET, ELECTION POSTER OF DEMOCRATIC LEAGUE OF KOSOVO (LDK) CANDIDATE FOR PM, VJOSA OSMANI (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) 64-YEAR-OLD PASSERBY, FEHMI MORINA, SAYING: "There were no incidents, everything went correctly. So, I am very happy, in fact I am joyful that elections were held in this manner." PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH CITY SQUARE STATUE OF FALLEN KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY COMMANDER ZAHIR PAJAZITI PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) 74-YEAR-OLD RETIRED TEACHER, KADRI KRASNIQI, SAYING: "I am very happy for the winner because other parties did not think of the people and youngsters, but just of corruption and criminality, only to fill their own pockets, nothing more. The youth left." PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET EXTERIOR OF GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS
- Embargoed: 21st October 2019 12:08
- Keywords: Kosovo elections Balkans Serbia Ramush Haradinaj parliamentary poll
- Location: PRISTINA, KOSOVO
- City: PRISTINA, KOSOVO
- Country: Kosovo
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA005B03LPO9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: People in Pristina said they were pleased about Kosovo's elections on Sunday (October 6) which saw two opposition parties set to come first and second
According to preliminary results based on 82% of the votes counted, Vetevendosje (Self-determination) won 26% of the votes, while another opposition party - the center-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) - won 25%.
Passers-by in the capital's centre said they were happy with the result and they were hoping for change. Several also said they were pleased at the way the elections had been conducted.
During the campaign, LDK and Vetevendosje leaders said they would form a ruling coalition together.
But to make it stable they will need either another party or support of minorities - Serbs, Turks, and Bosniaks - who together have 20 seats in the parliament.
The election saw a 44.05% turnout and was overseen by more than 34,000 independent monitors, including 100 from the European Union.
No major incidents were reported but police said they detained at least 20 people for photographing their ballots.
Whoever ends up running Kosovo next will have to face the issue of ties with Serbia, from which it declared independence in 2008. Normalisation of ties between the two could help secure Pristina a seat in the United Nations.
(Production: Bardh Krasniqi, Dominik Starosz) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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