Kosovo elects parliament speaker, ending months of political stalemate

PRISTINA (Reuters) -Kosovo's parliament on Tuesday elected a new speaker, ending a six-month legislative crisis that had blocked efforts by the outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti to form a new government after an inconclusive election in February.

Under Kosovo's constitution, a parliamentary speaker must be voted in before the election winner can form a government, but without cross-party backing that has proved difficult, leading to a stalemate that has exposed deep divisions in Europe's newest state.

In all, the parliament voted more than 50 times before they finally agreed on Dimal Basha, who is from Kurti's party, receiving 73 votes in the 120-seat house.

Five deputy speakers must also be elected, in a vote expected later on Tuesday.

Kurti now has two weeks to reach a deal with other parties, including those representing non-Albanian minorities, or the president will hand other parties the mandate to form a government. If those efforts fail, a snap election will take place.

"The parliament is the heart of our democracy, the place where the voices of all citizens are heard," Basha said after the vote. "I feel great responsibility that has been entrusted on me." 

Following an acrimonious campaign, Kurti's Vetevendosje party came first in the February 9 parliamentary election, but failed to secure an outright majority.

Opposition parties have so far refused to form a coalition government with Vetevendosje. They partly blame Kurti for escalating tensions in the country's Serb-majority north that have held back Kosovo's chances of joining the EU and triggered sanctions from the bloc.

(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Angeliki Koutantou and Alex Richardson)