Kurti’s ruling Vetevendosje party has about 41% of the votes with 88% counted. He gained 50% in 2021.

He said he was confident he would be able to form a government, adding: “We are the [winners] and this is confirmation of a good, prosperous and democratic government.”

There was a delay in announcing the official results due to the failure of the Central Election Commission’s counting system.

President Vjosa Osmani has called on the commission to “protect the integrity of the electoral process, ensuring that every vote is counted correctly”.

The commission blamed the delay on “technical issues”, but the editor of the media group Koha said the president should sack the commission’s chair.

Besnik Krasniqi said the failure of the system for preliminary results was “intolerable”.

The centre-left Vetevendosje party is expected to secure more than 40 seats in the 120-member parliament.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) is polling 22%, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) is on 18%, and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) has 8%. These are the only parties which passed the 5% threshold to gain seats in parliament.

Kurti came to power in 2021 when a coalition run by his party secured a small majority with over 50% of the vote.

Before any results were officially declared Kurti said: “Our coalition will form our third government.

“It will continue the work. The people won, Vetevendosje won.”

Kurti’s popularity has been boosted by efforts to extend government control over the ethnic-Serb majority north.

But that has antagonised Kosovo’s main backers – the EU and the US. Opposition parties advocate a more conciliatory approach, and have criticised the government’s handling of the economy.

The centre-right LDK has campaigned on joining Nato, and restoring relations with the US. The PDK, also centre-right, was founded by former guerrilla fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

“We are proud of the campaign and the election day. We await the results, but already we have reason to be optimistic,” said Vlora Citaku, deputy PDK leader.

Meanwhile, AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj, a former prime minister of the country, said he was “looking forward to co-operating on the creation of an opposition government” to prevent Kurti’s return to power.

Under Kosovo’s constitution, 10 MPs must come from the Serb minority, and they will not co-operate with Kurti’s party.

The remaining 10 seats are reserved for other minority ethnic groups, which have previously worked with Vetevendosje, which translates as “self-determination”.

Kurti has previously said he would not co-operate with any of the opposition parties.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, after years of strained relations between its Serb and mainly ethnic Albanian inhabitants.

It has been recognised by the US and most major EU countries, but Serbia, backed by its powerful ally Russia, refuses to do so, as do most ethnic Serbs inside Kosovo.

Voting began at 7am local time (06:00 GMT) on Sunday, according to the Central Election Commission, as Kosovars headed to the polling stations to elect a new parliament and cabinet in a contentious race also focused on the economy and corruption.

Polls will remain open until 18:00 GMT – the ninth such vote in Kosovo since the end of the 1998-99 war that pushed Serbian forces out of the self-declared republic.

Sunday’s vote, a key test for Kurti, will elect 120 lawmakers to the assembly, determining who leads Kosovo’s stalled negotiations on normalising ties with Serbia.

Kurti’s  left-wing Vetevendosje, or Self-Determination Movement party, which has sought to dismantle remaining Serbian institutions in Kosovo, is seen as the frontrunner in the election. But the party is not expected to win the necessary majority to govern alone, leaving open the possibility the other two contenders join ranks if he fails to form a cabinet.

The  other contenders are the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), whose main leaders are accused of war crimes at The Hague tribunal, and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the republic’s oldest party.

The opposition parties have made big-ticket pledges to increase public salaries and pensions, improve education and healthcare services and fight poverty.

Kosovo, with a population of 1.6 million, is among the poorest in Europe with an annual gross domestic product of less than 6,000 euros ($6,200) per person.

Kurti, whose government is the first in Kosovo’s history to finish its full term in office, has had a turbulent rule, marked by regular unrest between Serbs and ethnic Albanians.

Tensions spiked after negotiations backed by the European Union and the United States between Kosovo and Serbia all but collapsed in March 2023.

In the aftermath, NATO peacekeepers were assaulted by rioting Serbs, a deadly armed standoff in the north sent regional tensions soaring, and an explosion targeting a canal vital to Kosovo’s power plants late last year saw Kurti blaming Belgrade.

Kurti  also drew Western criticism for controversial measures he took last year, such as a ban on using the Serbian dinar and transfers from Serbia to Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority members who depend on Belgrade’s social services and payments.

The US, the EU and the NATO-led stabilisation force KFOR have urged the government in Pristina to refrain from unilateral actions, fearing the revival of interethnic conflict.

While Kurti retains a strong support base, his opponents have denounced him for the fraying ties with the US and the EU.

Shpend Kursani, a lecturer at the University of Tartu told Al Jazeera that voters most identify Kurti with “anti-corruption, national dignity and being – at least from a Balkan perspective – an honest politician”.

Opposition parties, however, blame Kurti’s willingness to confront Serbia as costing the country support and funding from the international community, even as he was able to secure the sale of anti-tank Javelin missiles from the US, Kursani said.

“It’s the same with Turkey; he purchased drones and what not, so the support from international communities is a bit mixed,” Kursani said. “He’s largely not corrupt… and it’s very difficult [for outside powers] to manage these small country leaders if they are not corrupt.”

KFOR has increased its presence in Kosovo and added more forces for the election. A team of 100 observers from the EU, 18 from the Council of Europe, and about 1,600 others from international or local organisations will also monitor the vote.

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic denied what he said were “baseless accusations” about Belgrade’s involvement in the incident, which occurred at approximately 7pm (18:00 GMT) on Friday near the town of Zubin Potok in the troubled north of the country, some 16km (10 miles) from the border with Serbia.

Somehow, we managed to fix the damage, arrest the suspects and confiscate a huge arsenal of weapons,” Svecla said during a livestreamed news conference on Saturday.

Police commander Gazmend Hoxha said those arrested “are suspected of inciting, organising and even executing these recent terrorist acts and in particular the one in the canal of Iber Lepenc”.

Hoxha said an initial investigation had shown that between 15-20kg (33-44 pounds) of explosives were used in the attack.

Kosovo police raided 10 locations, confiscating more than 200 military uniforms, six shoulder-fired rocket launchers, long weapons, pistols and ammunition, he added.

The police said most of the people arrested belong local Serb organisation Civilna Zastita (Civil Protection), which the government in Kosovo has declared as a “terrorist organisation”.

Earlier on Saturday, Serbia’s president denied the “irresponsible” claims made by the Kosovo government.

“Such unfounded claims are aimed to tarnish Serbia’s reputation, as well as to undermine efforts to promote peace and stability in the region,” Vucic said in a statement to the AFP news agency.

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric had earlier suggested on X that the government of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti could be behind the blast, without providing evidence, and called for an international investigation.

Pictures from the scene published by local media showed water leaking heavily from one side of the reinforced canal, which runs from the Serb-majority north of Kosovo to the capital, Pristina, and also supplies drinking water.

Faruk Mujka, the head of water company Iber Lepenci, told local news portal Kallxo that an explosive device was thrown into the canal and damaged the wall of a bridge. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

He said the water supply must be halted to fix the problem as soon as possible, given the disruption in supplies to the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK), the country’s main power provider.

“Serbia unequivocally demands responsibility for the perpetrators of this reckless attack,” Djuric posted on social media platform X.

Serbia was ready to provide financial and technical support to repair the damage to the canal, he said, “demonstrating our commitment to the welfare of all people in the region, regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation”.

Earlier on Friday, Kosovo police had increased security measures after two recent attacks in which hand grenades were hurled at a police station and municipality building in northern Kosovo where ethnic Serbs live. It was not clear if the incidents were linked.

The United States embassy in Pristina condemned the “criminal attack”.

“We are monitoring the situation closely … and have offered our full support to the government of Kosovo to ensure that those responsible … are identified and held accountable,” it said in a statement on Facebook.

Aivo Orav, the European Union’s ambassador to Kosovo, said the alleged attack was already “depriving considerable parts of Kosovo from water supply”.

Independence for ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo came in 2008, almost a decade after a rebel uprising against Serbian rule.

But troubles have persisted, mainly in the north where the Serb minority refuses to recognise Kosovo’s statehood and still sees Belgrade as their capital.

Tensions have spiked in recent months, with Kurti’s government seeking to dismantle a parallel system of social services and political offices backed by Belgrade to serve Kosovo’s Serbs.

The incident occurred on Friday near the town of Zubin Potok in the troubled north of the country, about 16km (10 miles) from the border with Serbia, cutting the flow of water needed for the plants’ cooling systems and prompting fears that much of the country could be left without electricity by the weekend.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti immediately blamed Serbia, without providing evidence, describing the alleged assault as “a terrorist act” carried out by “professionals” working in “gangs” directed by its northern neighbour who were targeting “critical infrastructure”.

Serbia on Saturday condemned the blast, Foreign Minister Marko Djuric denying what he called “premature accusations” that are “a deliberate diversion”, as he suggested the involvement of Kurti’s government, also without providing evidence.

Pictures from the scene published by local media showed water leaking heavily from one side of the reinforced canal, which runs from the Serb-majority north of Kosovo to the capital, Pristina, and also supplies drinking water.

Faruk Mujka the head of water company Iber Lepenci, told local news portal Kallxo that an explosive device was thrown into the canal and damaged the wall of a bridge. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

He said the water supply must be halted to fix the problem as soon as possible, given the disruption in supplies to the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK), the country’s main power provider.

“Serbia unequivocally demands responsibility for the perpetrators of this reckless attack,” Djuric posted on social media platform X.

Serbia was ready to provide financial and technical support to repair the damage to the canal, he said, “demonstrating our commitment to the welfare of all people in the region, regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation”.

 Earlier on Friday, Kosovo police had increased security measures after two recent attacks in which hand grenades were hurled at a police station and municipality building in northern Kosovo where ethnic Serbs live. It was not clear if the incidents were linked.

The United States embassy in Pristina condemned the “criminal attack”.

“We are monitoring the situation closely … and have offered our full support to the government of Kosovo to ensure that those responsible … are identified and held accountable,” it said in a statement on Facebook.

Aivo Orav, the European Union’s ambassador to Kosovo, said the alleged attack was already “depriving considerable parts of Kosovo from water supply”.

Independence for ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo came in 2008, almost a decade after a rebel uprising against Serbian rule.

But troubles persist, mainly in the north where the Serb minority refuses to recognise Kosovo’s statehood and still sees Belgrade as their capital.

Tensions have spiked in recent months, with Kurti’s government seeking to dismantle a parallel system of social services and political offices backed by Belgrade to serve Kosovo’s Serbs.