PRISTINA: Chaos unfolded in the Kosovan parliament as a parliamentary session turned violent, with water being hurled at Prime Minister Albin Kurti. The confrontation began during a speech by Kurti when an opposition party MP, Mergim Lushtaku of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), threw water at the prime minister, leading to a physical altercation between members of the ruling Vetevendosje party and the opposition.
Prime Minister Kurti has faced criticism from opposition parties, and Kosovo has faced international isolation due to the EU’s imposition of punitive measures in response to Pristina’s failure to de-escalate tensions in northern Kosovo, where ethnic Serbs reside. The opposition parties are now calling for a snap general election.
The opposition MPs interrupted Kurti’s speech on the situation in northern Kosovo, and the PDK alleged that Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi provoked the altercation by hitting MP Mergim Lushtaku with a bottle.
Kosovan Parliament Speaker Calls for Police Intervention
In response to the violence, Speaker of Parliament Glauk Konjufca called for police intervention to restore order, leading to the suspension of the session.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama expressed concern about the violent scenes in the Kosovan Assembly, stating that such actions tarnish Kosovo’s image and harm its reputation among allies. Rama called on the opposition to distance themselves from such behavior and to serve Kosovo through the strength of example rather than resorting to violence.
Meanwhile, it was reported that a quarter of Kosovo’s special police force was withdrawn from the vicinity of municipal facilities in northern Kosovo. The move was aimed at de-escalating tensions following opposition from Serbs over the appointment of Albanian mayors in the region. The government’s decision to scale down the number of special police officers by 25% is seen as a step toward achieving de-escalation, with early local elections planned for the affected municipalities after the summer season.
