Water was hurled at Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti as a parliamentary session turned violent on July 13.

A physical confrontation broke out between MPs of the ruling Vetevendosje and the opposition party during a speech given by Kurti. The situation quickly escalated after an MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Mergim Lushtaku, threw water at the prime minister, prompting Vetevendosje MPs and ministers to become embroiled in a physical altercation, Reporteri reported.

Kurti is under fire from opposition parties, with Kosovo internationally isolated following the imposition of punitive measures by the EU in response to the failure of Pristina to de-escalate the tense situation in northern Kosovo, predominantly inhabited by ethnic Serbs. The parties are seeking a snap general election. 

Opposition MPs interrupted Kurti's speech about the situation in northern Kosovo.

The PDK alleged that Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi provoked the altercation by hitting deputy Mergim Lushtaku with a bottle.

In response to the violence, Speaker of Parliament Glauk Konjufca asked the police to intervene to restore order. The session was subsequently suspended.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama expressed his concern on social media about the violent scenes in the Kosovo Assembly. Rama emphasised that such actions tarnish Kosovo's image and harm its reputation in the eyes of its allies.

He noted that while disagreeing with the prime minister is in line with the provisions of democracy, resorting to violence only brings shame upon a lawmaker, constituents and the entire state. Rama urged the opposition to distance themselves from such behaviour and to serve Kosovo through the strength of example, rather than resorting to force.

“Imagine how the irreplaceable allies and friends of Kosovo and the Albanians feel, when they see how the Albanians are grabbed by the throat, where one should fight with ideas and words, not with insults and fists!” Rama wrote.

In the meantime, it was reported on July 13 that a quarter of Kosovo's special police force was withdrawn from the vicinity of municipal facilities in northern Kosovo, a move that was confirmed by the police's spokesman in the area, Veton Elshani.

Elshani stated: "Following the approval of the government's decision by the Police management, it was transmitted to the field for implementation. The government's decision started being executed yesterday and was completed today."

For over a month, Kosovo police were deployed around the municipal facilities due to tensions that arose among the Serbs in opposition to the placement of Albanian mayors in the northern municipalities.

Kosovo’s government decided to scale down the number of special police officers in northern Kosovo by 25% as part of efforts to de-escalate tensions.

This appeared to be the first serious step taken by Kosovo’s authorities to achieve such de-escalation. Furthermore, the government publicly declared its support for holding early local elections in the municipalities affected by the situation. However, the elections will be scheduled for after the summer season, with full legal framework compliance to be ensured.