The counting has begun in Kosovo’s first-ever elections, seen as a key test of Pristina’s commitment to democracy, and satisfying minority aspirations. Polls closed at 19.00.

According to the electoral commission, by 19.00 45.36% of the 1.5 million eligible voters had voted for mayors and local representatives .

Most eyes were on Kosmet's 120,000 strong Serb community amid calls from Belgrade and the influential Serbian Orthodox Church for them to boycott the polls.

However Serbs appeared to be participating in polling stations throughout central Kosovo, home to two-thirds of the Serb minority.

In the Serb stronghold Gracanica, eight kilometers south of Pristina, there were even queues of people waiting outside some polling stations.

According to local electoral officials in Gracanica, more then 14 percent out of 18,000 inhabitants had voted by 3:30 pm.

However, the one-third of Kosovo's Serbs, who live in the north near the Serbian border, were massively boycotting the vote. The election commission said turnout by 3:30 in three northern municipalities with majority Serb population was from 0.48 to 5.61 percent.

Nesrin Lushta, an official with the election commission, told reporters the authorities in the north had even been prevented from opening most of the polling stations in public premises.

Based on fresh police data, the elections were held without any serious problems. But officials were already grappling with apparent irregularities in the landmark voting, even as they boasted of the fairness of the process.

Kosovar authorities had vowed that the elections would be free and fair, and that both ethnic Albaniansand minority Serbs who wanted to vote would have the chance.

But there were no polling stations in many northern areas, including Kosovska Mitrovica, where ethnic Serbs predominate.

The election authorities initially gave no official reason for the lack of polling stations in the north but simply cited "technical difficulties."

It was unclear how Kosovar authorities expected to overcome such a significant setback in their effort to convince international supporters and skeptics that the vote was legitimate.

Many have suggested that that Kosovo's success in organizing legitimate elections would increase the chance that more countries recognize Kosovar independence.

The Republic of Kosovo Central Election Commission has estimated the successful organization of elections in Kosovo, an assessment that was also declared by international institutions, OSCE and namely foreign ambassadors accredited to the Republic of Kosovo.

Central Election Commissioner Lushta has made known that all polls are closed at 19:00, with exception of only five polling stations in Prishtina and in Mamushë, where even after this time there were citizens awaiting to vote at the polling stations.

The first unofficial results are expected by midnight. A runoff will be held on December 13 in municipalities where candidates fail to win more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round.

Hashim Thaci,, has claimed that his party has won the territory's first independent elections. as his party had won in 20 of the 36 municipalities.

"Today we gave freedom, independence and democracy its full meaning," Thaci told his supporters.

The junior partner in the governing coalition claimed it won in several areas, including the capital Pristina, while opposition parties contested Thaci's outright victory and urged people to wait until final results came out.