Belgrade: The Parliament of Kosovo has re-elected Fatmir Sejdiu of the Democratic Leagues of Kosovo as the president of Kosovo.

Sejdiu, 56, won 68 votes in the 120-seat house. He defeated his opponent, Naim Maloku of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, who got 39 votes.

His re-election to the presidency appears to be part of a coalition deal between the LDK and the Democratic Party of Kosovo.

On Monday, Kosovo’s parties signed a power-sharing deal to form a government that is expected to declare Kosovo’s independence from Serbia.

Ex guerilla leader Hashim Thaci said that his Democratic Party of Kosovo would govern alongside its opponent, President Fatmir Sejdiu’s Democratic League of Kosovo.

Prime minister designate Thaci said, “The No. 1 commitment of this government and of all Kosovo citizens is to formalize Kosovo as an independent, democratic state.”

The coalition would firstly direct the province through a declaration of independence from Serbia. The USA and EU support the Kosovo’s independence from Serbia, but Serbia and its ally Russia fiercely oppose it.

Sejdiu’s party would place five ministers including justice and health.

The political partnership between the two major ethnic Albanian parties is likely to be uneasy due to rivalries tarrying from the war.