Kosovo

Kosovo faces political paralysis, and possible new elections, after talks between the two biggest parties appeared to hit a brick wall on Wednesday evening.

Marathon talks between the two parties that polled most votes in the October legislative elections look set to end soon, with a final agreement on a new coalition government.

A report by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo says the number of people returning to their homes after being displaced by the Kosovo war has been declining, with security fears continuing to deter them.

Lars-Gunnar Wigemark was appointed as Head of Mission of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX KOSOVO), with a mandate running from 1 December 2019 until 14 June 2020. Wigemark, a Swedish national, was previously Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Head of the European Union Delegation to Pakistan.

Following talks with his Serbian counterpart in Paris, Kosovar President Hashim Thaci said dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade on normalizing ties should continue, but “without any conditionality.”

The electoral complaints authority said votes from more than half the polling stations at October’s election must be recounted after a challenge from the number of electoral lists, including NISMA-AKR-PD coalition which is hoping the recount will give it parliamentary seats.

Kosovo's leftist-nationalist Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party has won 26.1 percent of the vote in last month's general elections, capturing 32 seats in the 120-seat legislature, according to the final results.

Zahir Tanin, the head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), told Council members that preliminary results pointed to an opposition victory, with coalition talks underway. Most voters had decided to “rally behind unconventional political candidates”, signifying a break with the past.

Vote counting has been suspended in Kosovo after several Central Election Commission officials reported health problems after opening five ballot boxes from Serbia.

The two former opposition parties that won most votes in Kosovo’s recent parliamentary elections have expressed willingness to reach a coalition agreement, four days after the voters elected a new parliament. After Albin Kurti’s Vetevendosje party came first in last Sunday’s vote, the Democratic League of Kosovo’s candidate for prime minister, Vjosa Osmani, on Wednesday on Facebook called for a coalition agreement between them.