Kosovo to hold snap elections on October 6 after govt collapse

Kosovo will hold early elections on October 6, the president’s office said on Monday. The move comes after lawmakers dissolved parliament last week, following outgoing premier Ramush Haradinaj’s resignation to face a war crimes probe.

Haradinaj, who was a commander of ethnic Albanian rebels during the 1998-99 war with Serbia, stepped down in July after he was summoned as a suspect by international prosecutors in The Hague. The government then collapsed and parties have started negotiations about new alliances as they prepare for the polls.

The new elections will delay already faltering talks to normalize ties with Belgrade. Serbia, Russia, China and a number of other states have not recognized Kosovo's independence.

On Sunday, Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that the African nation Togo had become the 15th to reverse its recognition of Kosovo, AFP said.