Kosovo Holds Municipal Elections Amid COVID-19 Surge, Ethnic Tensions

More than 1.8 million voters in Kosovo are eligible to vote on October 17 in municipal elections that will be the first test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti, following a landslide victory of his Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) movement in parliamentary elections earlier this year. Voters will choose 38 mayors and more than 1,000 local officials. The elections are taking place amid a spike in coronavirus infections and after incidents in northern Kosovo in which ethnic Serb villagers blocked roads and clashed with police after authorities cracked down on cross-border smuggling.