Parliament Candidate In Kosovo Assassinated

Elvis Pista was a member of Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (DPK).

A parliamentary candidate from the party of Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has been assassinated.

Police said Elvis Pista was shot four times as he left a restaurant in the southern town of Rahovec early on June 15.

Police believe the assassin shot Pista from behind, using a handgun with a silencer.

Kosovo authorities have not yet certified the results of the June 8 elections, so it is unclear if Pista had won a seat.

But preliminary results showed the flamboyant politician -- who is recognizable by his spiked hair -- was leading in his race.

Thaci said authorities are doing everything possible to find Pista's killer.

Thaci's party won the most seats in the elections but he lacks a coalition partner needed to form a government.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters