Former guerilla leader Hashim Thaci claimed victory in Kosovo’s parliamentary elections at the weekend and said he would declare independence “immediately” after December 10, when internationally mediated talks on the province’s future status are set to conclude.

Mr Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the main opposition in parliament since 2004, won 34 per cent of votes, well ahead of the rival Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the current governing party, whose support fell to 22 per cent, according to independent election monitors after most of the votes were counted.