Brussels, 29/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Saturday 27 February, the European Union again called on the Kosovan political leaders to act responsibly and to calm the tension, following the tense elections of Kosovo's new President Hashim Thaçi.
“The scenes we witnessed in the Assembly on such an occasion are extremely worrying”, said High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, describing the atmosphere as “tense and conflictual” as a parliamentary session was once again interrupted by jets of tear gas. In a press release, Mogherini stated once again that “acts of violence in any form and by anyone are unacceptable” and that “inflammatory rhetoric only deepens the divide and makes a dialogue more difficult”.
As forecast, Hashim Thaçi, the former deputy prime minister and foreign minister, was elected as president of Kosovo with 71 of the 81 votes of the parliamentarians present at the third round of the elections. The announcement of this election was welcomed by opposition supporters with Molotov cocktails and stones being thrown at the parliament, wounding 21 police officers. The parliamentary sessions have been disturbed by the opposition since September and numerous demonstrations have taken place in the capital, calling for the government to resign. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)