Kosovo opposition wins, but most communes in runoffs

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Preliminary results show that center-right opposition parties have dominated in Kosovo’s municipal elections but more than half the communes will go to runoffs in a month’s time. Voters in the small Balkan nation were electing mayors for 38 municipalities and about 1,000 town hall lawmakers. Election officials said Monday preliminary turnout was 42.5%, slightly less than four years ago. Voting was peaceful. Police arrested 13 people for possible voting violations. With almost all the vote counted, preliminary results at the Central Election Commission webpage showed that 21 communes will need a runoff to elect their mayors. The party of Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority, which is close to the government in Belgrade, won the 10 seats in northern communes.