About 1.4 million voters are eligible to choose among 22 political parties, six civil initiatives and five independent candidates vying for a 120-seat assembly. They will be able to cast their ballots at 1,622 polling stations that opened at 0700 hours.
Twenty seats in the provincial parliament are reserved for minorities, including 10 for the Serb minority.
According to opinion polls, the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo, led by Ibrahim Rugova, is expected to remain the strongest party in the assembly. It will most likely be followed by the Democratic Party of Hashim Thaqi and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.
It is almost certain that none of the parties will win an outright majority, so that the future government will depend on post-election coalitions.
The vote is being overseen by nearly 12,000 local and international monitors, including 120 from the Council of Europe and 2,000 from the Kosovo Human Rights Committee. Some 20,000 members of the KFOR peacekeeping force are responsible for security.
There are also 108,000 eligible voters in Serbia and Montenegro. They will be able to vote at 100 polling stations in Serbia and 15 polling stations in Montenegro. All the ballots cast there will be additionally verified.
The polling stations close at 2000 hours and preliminary results are expected to be released on Monday.