Initial results show Prime Minister Kurti's party won most votes in early election in Kosovo

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party won the most votes in an early parliamentary election in Kosovo on Sunday, early results showed. But it remained unclear whether the outcome will bring an end to a political impasse in the small Balkan nation seeking to move closer to the European Union and NATO.

The vote was Kosovo's third in less than 18 months. It was scheduled after the main political parties failed to agree by a March deadline on who should replace former President Vjosa Osmani. The first inconclusive election in February 2025 left the country without a functioning government for much of last year, forcing a second election in December.

Kurti's ruling Vetevendosje party won around 43% of the votes followed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo with 21,7% and the Democratic League of Kosovo with 18%, the state election authorities said after counting nearly 90% of the ballots cast on Sunday. The final tally also will need to include some 100,000 votes of Kosovars living abroad.

Kurti and his party had a comfortable majority of more than 50% of the votes in a previous early election in December. Coupled with a lower turnout, the fall in support appears to reflect voter disappointment with mainstream politicians who have kept the small Balkan nation in a state of a prolonged crisis.

The political stalemate has negatively affected Kosovo’s economy, already hit hard by the global energy crisis and rising fuel prices. Kosovo, one of the youngest and poorest countries in Europe, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, after a 1998-99 war that ended in a NATO bombing that forced Serbia to withdraw.

Kosovo’s president is elected by at least 80 lawmakers in the 120-member assembly, requiring a broader political consensus. The newly elected lawmakers will face the same task once the new assembly is formed after Sunday's vote despite a reshuffle in the their numbers.

Kurti told supporters in Pristina that the election confirmed the dominance of his party. He promised to “communicate, meet and cooperate with all political parties ... because public interest comes first for us.”

The main opposition parties have accused Kurti of seeking to impose full control over all political institutions in the country.

Osmani joined the opposition LDK in the election, having turned against Kurti after he refused to back her for a second term. Osmani earlier Sunday expressed “great optimism” that the election will “take us out of the repeated crisis that has damaged our country, both domestically and beyond our borders.”

While the key players blamed each other for the crisis, their inability to reach a compromise has fueled frustration among Kosovo’s just under 2 million voters, who want the government to focus on the economy and living standards instead.

The turnout on Sunday was 36,3% while it was nearly 45% in December.

Arton Smajli, 42, a resident of the capital, Pristina, said that “we are tired, but the will for change is greater than that.”

Sejdi Shala, 73, was also optimistic that the election will bring “stability of the institutions and the society.”

The institutional vacuum, without a stable government, has delayed access to the EU and other international funds available to the country. European Council President António Costa, during a visit last week, urged Kosovo to end the political stalemate and unite over the goal of EU integration.

Kosovo has been recognized by the United States and most EU countries, but not by Serbia and its allies, Russia and China. Pristina and Belgrade have been told that they must mend relations to move forward with their EU membership bids.

A voter signs an election document at a polling station for an early parliamentary election, the third in 18 months, in the northern Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dejan Simicevic)

People wait in line at a polling station for an early parliamentary election, the third in 18 months, in the northern Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dejan Simicevic)

A man votes during parliamentary election in Kosovo capital Pristina, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

Kosovo's former president Vjosa Osmani votes during parliamentary election in Kosovo capital Pristina, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Blerim Berisha)

Kosovo's acting Prime Minister and Vetevendosje party leader Albin Kurti votes during parliamentary election in Kosovo capital Pristina, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

People wait at a bus station displaying election posters in capital Pristina, Kosovo, Friday, June 5, 2026, ahead of snap parliamentary elections on June 7. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

Vjosa Osmani, Kosovo former president, waves to supporter at the closing political rally of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), in capital Pristina on Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

People pass by a giant election poster of acting prime minister Albin Kurti, in capital Pristina, Kosovo, Friday, June 5, 2026, ahead of snap parliamentary elections on June 7. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Denny Hamlin had another bittersweet moment at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Sure, one of his 23XI Racing drivers, Corey Heim, reached victory lane at a crown jewel race. Again. But for Hamlin, it also was a brutal reminder about how frustrating the Brickyard 400 has been for him. Eighteen starts, no wins and another top-five finish.

The good news: All is not lost.

The 45-year-old Hamlin heads into a rare midseason weekend off still leading in points, as one of four drivers locked into the playoffs and second in wins as everyone else spends the next four races trying to fill the other 12 playoffs spots. In the meantime, Hamlin can start game-planning to add the other missing link on his resume — winning a Cup championship.

“I haven’t really thought too much about the future,” Hamlin said in Indianapolis when asked about possibly retiring after next season. "Obviously, (Joe Gibbs Racing) has good plans set in place and whatnot. So, no, I haven’t put any more thought into or second thoughts or anything like that. So, its just really riding the wave of week to week right now and continue trying to get more wins.”

The timing for a break couldn't be better for Hamlin or some other top contenders.

Tyler Reddick owns a season-best five wins and is second in points, but hasn't won since Kansas in April. The 23 XI driver finished 10th in Sunday's race after qualifying third.

Ryan Blaney is third, but had his streak of 11 consecutive top-11 finishes snapped on Indy's 2.5-mile oval after he was caught up in a late, nine-car crash that dropped him to 26th and cost him the $1 million In-Season Challenge prize.

Hamlin's teammate, Ty Gibbs, clinched the fourth playoff spot by earning points in each of the first two stages, leading the second-most laps (46) and finishing 12th at the Brickyard.

Pole winner Carson Hocevar produced his second top 10 in three weeks, but that came after posting just two top 10s in the eight weeks prior to Atlanta. He's fifth in the standings.

Even previous series champs have not been immune from problems.

In addition to Blaney, the 2023 champ, Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup winner, has finished outside the top 10 in eight consecutive races, and defending Cup champ Kyle Larson's winless streak reached 46 thanks to a flat left rear tire that sent him hard into the wall at Indy. Elliott finished 37th Sunday while Larson was last in the 39-car field.

Still, Elliott is sixth, Larson is eighth and both know they still have time to get things right.

“Storylines can change quick as we all know,” Elliott said. “So three weeks of running good and y'all will be talking about how these guys are championship favorites.”

Once the break ends, though, everyone knows the intensity and pressure will crank up again quickly. They'll head to Iowa on Aug. 9, then Richmond and New Hampshire where the practice sessions will be extended from 25 to 50 minutes before the regular-season finale at Daytona. That's when the 16 playoff contestants embark on a nerve-wracking 10-week shootout for the title.

For many, the 0.875-mile oval also will be a welcome site because many started racing on short tracks.

“I grew up on a three-eighths mile asphalt track similarly shaped to Iowa,” said Ross Chastain, who is trying to fight his way into the playoffs despite having no wins and ranking 21st. “I feel like that's much more what I just ran for so much of my childhood on. So that feels more natural to me than the big oval here (in Indy)."

But for drivers, the break also is a reminder of the high-stakes game still to come — especially for someone like Hamlin, whose partnership with Michael Jordan with 23XI has helped extend his legacy even as he continues chasing two of the Cup's biggest prizes.

“It’s great that we’ve been able to make the changes that we’ve had and built this race team into championship contenders, and it’s exceeded really all the expectations I’ve had for it in such a short amount of time,” Hamlin said. " It’s certainly an honor to be amongst a lot of sport greats.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing

Corey Heim celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Crew members perform a pit stop on driver Denny Hamlin's car during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in North Wilkesboro, N.C., Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Denny Hamlin drives into Turn 1 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in North Wilkesboro, N.C., Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)