In a shocking turn of events, chaos erupted in the Kosovo parliament on July 13 when a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Mergim Lushtaku, threw water at Prime Minister Albin Kurti during a session. The incident occurred while Kurti was addressing the parliament about the government's efforts to ease tensions with ethnic Serbs in the northern part of the country.
The opposition parties in Kosovo have been critical of Kurti's policies in the north, which have strained relations with key Western allies. The United States and the European Union have been pressuring Kurti to take measures to calm the situation, particularly after the violent clashes that took place in May. These clashes were a result of police-backed ethnic Albanian mayors taking office in the region, despite the widespread boycott by the ethnic Serb majority.
The violence in May led to dozens of injuries and raised concerns about a potential conflict similar to the one that ravaged Kosovo in 1998-99, claiming the lives of over 10,000 people. In an attempt to defuse the tension, Kurti on July 12 announced plans to reduce the number of special police officers stationed outside municipal buildings in ethnic Serb-majority areas and hold new mayoral elections in those towns.
However, this decision has faced criticism from the opposition, who argue that Kurti has been experimenting with policies for months, jeopardizing Kosovo's international standing, only to backtrack later on. The frustrations and disagreements came to a boiling point when Lushtaku splashed water on the prime minister during his speech, triggering a brawl in the parliament.
Local media reports indicate that Kurti was escorted out of the assembly hall amidst the chaos. The incident highlights the deep divisions and tensions within Kosovo's political landscape, particularly regarding the approach to the ethnic Serb minority in the northern region. While Kurti maintains that he is enforcing law and order in the area, deploying police forces, and supporting the new ethnic Albanian mayors, the US and the EU had advised him to keep the mayors away from the north until the situation is resolved.
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