Tension Grows in Kosovo Town After Shooting

Mimoza Kusari at Gjakova Rally

Kosovo police arrested a 41-year old person suspected of firing shots from an AK-47 weapon at Gjakova's municipal building.

Gjakova's municipal building was fired at in the early hours of Tuesday morning, further raising tensions in a town already divided by the recent local elections.

Police reported that windows were broken in the attack and that they found 15 shells of a 7.62 mm calibre weapon. Police described the case as a ‘threat to public safety’.

Gjakova municipality was quick to condemn the attack. “This attack in the municipal building is an attack against the people and it must be the last one. It gives our enemies reason to minimize our efforts achieved so far (in furthering) democratic processes,” Hasan Ukshini, the spokesperson of the municipality said.

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, also condemned the attack claiming that it was a criminal act towards Kosovo institutions and called its main political rival in the town, New Kosovo Alliance, AKR, to distance itself from the incident.

"AAK invites all political parties, even those from the opposition in this town, particularly the AKR branch in Gjakova, to distance themselves quickly from this criminal act against Gjakova municipality, a vital institution of Kosovo’s Republic,” the AAK statement reads.

Gjakova has been at the centre of electoral fraud claims following the local elections on Sunday.

The preliminary results from the Central Election Commission show that AAK won 52.8 per cent, while AKR gained 40.7 per cent, ensuring the AAK candidate, Pal Lekaj, was elected mayor without the need for a second round.

She has released a video that shows officials from AAK and the Reformist Party Time, ORA, filling the ballot boxes in Demjan village, ultimately damaging her party’s outcome, she says.

AKR held a protest in Gjakova last week attracting hundreds of protesters.