Polling stations in Kosovo were closed at 7 pm on Sunday in the first parliamentary elections since the country gained independence in February 2008 and, according to exit polls, they were won by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).
An exit poll covering more than 2,000 voters shows that Thaci's party won 31 per cent of the vote, followed by Isa Mustafa's Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), which won 25 per cent.
According to the Central Election Commission, the turnout by 3.30 pm was 34.10 per cent, or 556,075 voters.
Voting proceeded peacefully, with only a few minor incidents recorded in the mostly Serb-populated north where, due to tensions, some polling stations were closed at 4 pm.
Around 1.6 million eligible voters elected 120 representatives to the parliament from candidates on 29 lists, including 20 candidates for minorities, 10 for Serbs and 10 for others.
The early election was called after Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu resigned in September after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had violated the constitution by not having resigned as LDK leader upon taking up office as President.
After the PDK and the LDK failed to reach an agreement on the new head of state, Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi called new elections in his capacity as acting President.
