Kosovo parliament brawl - watch as lawmakers descend into fisticuffs

A brawl broke out at the Kosovo parliament between governing coalition lawmakers and the opposition, after a heated debate in the chamber descended into chaos. The footage from inside parliament shows an opposition party MP throwing water at leader Albin Kurti and his deputy.

Parliamentary officials have been gridlocked in a three-day public debate over an audio recording between a ruling party member and an official from the Serb-majority north.

Tensions are also high with opposition parties criticising Albin Kurti’s policies in the north, which have affected relations with the United States and the European Union.

Political unrest in the north came to a head recently when ethnic Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo. The Serb-majority in the region boycotted the elections, which took place in April.

Ethnic Albanians make up 90% of Kosovo’s population, with Serbs accounting for about 5%.

The parliamentary session was delayed for two hours following the brawl. Glauk Konjufca, speaker of the parliament, said: “This what happened at Kosovo parliament is unacceptable and use of violence is punishable.”