The ethnic Albanian party, led by writer-turned-politician Mr Ibrahim Rugova, has won the largest share of votes in Kosovo's parliamentary elections, without securing an outright majority, exit polls indicated early this morning.
Mr Rugova's Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) appears to have won 45 per cent of the vote in yesterday's election for a 120-member parliament in the Yugoslav province, against 24 per cent for its nearest rival, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), according to an exit poll by the non-governmental Kosova Action for Civic Initiatives (KAIC).
"Preliminary results from the elections on November 17th, according to the leadership of the LDK, show that the LDK is certain of a convincing win in the majority of towns in Kosovo," the party said.
A senior aide to Mr Rugova, MrSkender Hyseni, said the LDK leader would address a news conference later today.
Mr Rugova, 57, who led a campaign of passive resistance against the regime of former Yugoslav president Mr Slobodan Milosevic, is the frontrunner to be elected president by the parliament.
AFP