Kosovo lawmakers support new govt as Prime Minister Hoti promises Serbia deal

Kosovo’s parliament elected a new government on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti promising to reach a deal on normalizing ties with Serbia.

The new government led by Hoti, of the center-right Democratic League of Kosovo, was supported by 61 deputies in the 120-seat legislature after weeks of legal wrangling.

“We will not allow any change of the borders or exchange of territories,” Hoti told lawmakers. Serbia does not recognize the independence of its breakaway province.

Hoti served as deputy prime minister in the previous government under Albin Kurti, from the leftist party Vetevendosje. The cabinet was dismissed in a no-confidence vote in March after disputes over its handling of the coronavirus crisis and lifting tariffs on Serbian goods.