Kosovo voted on Sunday in its first elections since declaring independence in 2008, with many voters angered to find themselves still among Europe\'s poorest citizens.
Police reported theats to minority Serb voters in the north of the overwhelmingly ethnic Albanian territory when shots were fired into an empty building.
The electoral commission put turnout across the territory at over 11 percent shortly before midday, and there were no other reports of violence.
In Pristina, handfuls of people lined up outside polling stations throughout the city in clear weather.
Goran Zdravkovic, a Serb member of the electoral commission, told reporters that the 40,000 Serbs in North Kosovo were maintaining a total boycott of the vote with not a single ballot cast in the five hours of voting before noon (1100 GMT).
However, Serbs in enclaves in central Kosovo, accounting for two-thirds of the 120,000 Serb population, were reported to be turning out in large numbers.
Opinion polls ahead of the vote showed support for Prime Minister Hashim Thaci\'s PDK party at 30 percent, just two percent ahead of its main rival the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), led by Pristina mayor Isa Mustafa.
Thaci looked relaxed in a leather jacket as he cast his vote in a elementary school in Pristina accompanied by his wife and his young son.
"Kosovo is voting today for a European future, for visa liberalisation and (...) and integration into the European Union and the United Nations," he told a throng of journalists.
Many in the 1.6 million strong electorate are disillusioned with the current leadership with Thaci\'s reputation hurt by a string of corruption scandals involving party officials.
More than 10 years after the war between the independence-seeking Albanian majority and forces loyal to then Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, Kosovo remains one of the poorest regions in Europe with nearly half the population living below the poverty line.
"Thaci will win. He should hold be given four more years and you will see he will be the best prime minister Kosovo ever had," Feriz Krasniqi, a 29-year-old street vendor in Pristina told AFP.
But many young people and the educated urban elite have turned their backs on the guerrilla leader-turned politician who led Kosovo\'s armed resistance to Serbian rule.
"I got up early to vote because I\'m not happy with the way the country was led. People suffered while politicians benefitted and we have to stop that," 39-year-old construction engineer Shaqir Zeneli said.
The gun attack threatening Serbs happened in the North Kosovo town of Zubin Potok, police spokesman Besim Hoti said, adding that the gunmen left a written threat warning Serbs to stay away from the polls. The building is sometimes used by NATO-led peacekeepers.
"It was a political threat against the elections," he said, adding that it was not known who was behind it.
The ethnic-Albanian majority declared Kosovo independent in February 2008, a move recognised by 72 countries including the US and all but five European Union members.
Serbia, which still considers the territory as its southern province, has advised the 120,000-strong Serb minority in Kosovo not to vote.
Ten out of the 129 parliament seats are reserved for the Serb minority but it could go up to 15 if Serb turnout is high.
The snap elections were called after an uneasy ruling coalition imploded late September.
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