Kosovo lawmakers pass 2014 budget, avoiding early election

By Fatos Bytyci PRISTINA (Reuters) - Lawmakers in Kosovo on Thursday approved the proposed budget for next year, clearing the first hurdle in a process that could have triggered an early election for a coalition government struggling with an internal rebellion. A rebel faction within Prime Minister Hashim Thaci Democratic Party of Kosovo has sided with the opposition on several issues over the past months, setting up the possibility the government could have lost the budget vote. Diplomats say Kosovo's Western backers, which supported its 2008 secession from Serbia, are reluctant to see the country go to the polls before it has a chance to reform its electoral legislation to increase the number of constituencies and review voter registration, among other proposals.

Continue reading...