Opposition tear gas attack halts Kosovo parliament
KOSOVO: Lawmakers in Kosovo approved a contentious and longpending border demarcation deal with Montenegro yesterday despite the opposition’s use of tear gas to prevent a vote.
The 120-seat parliament voted 80-11 to endorse the deal, ensuring its passage with the minimum twothirds support required.
The European Union has set the border agreement as a precondition for Kosovo’s citizens to travel without visas in Europe’s Schengen travel zone
Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli said he was hopeful the EU would let Kosovars enjoy visa-free travel, as citizens of other Balkan countries already do.
The opposition Self-Determination Party says Kosovo will lose 8200 hectares of its territory under the agreement, which was reached in August 2015. The previous government and international experts deny this.
Opposition leader Albin Kurti complained that most of the party’s lawmakers were barred from the vote or taken away by police for questioning after a tear gas canister was set off in the assembly chamber.
‘‘Today, 80 lawmakers joined the treason of President [Hashim] Thaci, joined the violation of Kosovo’s constitution and its territorial integrity,’' Kurti said.
At least two lawmakers were injured. Amid the chaos, the session failed four consecutive times to call the vote, but Veseli insisted it would take place.
‘‘Today, the trauma of the Montenegro border demarcation will end. The vote will be held today,’' he said.
Police entered parliament and forced out a small group of opposition lawmakers, who had refused to leave since the morning. Eight of them were barred from taking part in the session, and seven were taken away for questioning. It was not clear if they were the same lawmakers who were barred from parliament.
Police also searched every person entering the chamber.
The opposition party, now divided in two because of internal frictions, has used tear gas and similar tactics to disrupt parliament over the past three years.
The collapse of votes for the border demarcation agreement and another proposal seeking to give more rights to Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority toppled the previous government and took the country to an early election last year.
Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said there were enough votes to pass the border deal. But the two-thirds threshold required defections from the opposition ranks. One opposition lawmaker joined a governing majority party.
–