The sixth election debate moderated by Jeta Xharra began with Faton Peci from the LAA coalition praising the LDK government’s budget increases for sport and culture.

“In the past two years of LDK’s governance, we managed to increase the budget from 19 million to 33 million euros. In the cultural heritage sector, we found the budget at 1.9 million euros, and increased it to five million. In this period we increased the budget from seven million to 15 million euros for sports… This year we dedicated one million euros to Prizren to protect cultural heritage,” he said, adding that going forward the LAA coalition would focus on capital investments in cultural heritage monuments, UNESCO membership, and constructing the natural museum and a “unique archeological park for the region.”

Vetevendosje’s Saranda Bogujevci then echoed some of these priorities, saying that Vetevendosje would revitalize Kosovo’s cultural centers, implement intellectual property laws, work towards securing UNESCO membership, and construct the ballet and opera theater.

“One of our priorities is also the construction of a the stadium according to FIFA and UEFA standards, which hasn’t been built in the past 17 years,” said Vetevendosje’s Fisnik Ismaili.

Meanwhile, the actor and director Sunaj Raca, who is an MP candidate of NISMA, said that as an artist he felt that the budget increases were not felt by the artistic community.

“I came here to depoliticize cultural institutions, which are extremely politicized. The only way to depoliticize something, I feel, is is by entering politics,” Raca said, calling for artists to join in the discussion by becoming part of political parties and attempting to “reign in the chaotic situation in institutions.”

Responding to Bogujevci’s remark about prioritizing the construction of Prishtina’s opera and ballet theater, LDK’s Peci claimed that it was Vetevendosje who stalled the project.

“The best defense is an offense – and that is why Vetevendosje threw the burden of the theater to the Ministry of Culture, just because it did not like to name it ‘Ibrahim Rugova,’” said Peci, implying that Vetevendosje-run municipality of Prishtina disagreed with naming the opera building after LDK’s ideological leader and Kosovo’s first president.

Bogujevci took the floor again saying that Peci’s claims were untruthful, while Ismaili called them “tendentious.” Peci insisted that he was present in a meeting with Prishtina Mayor Shpend Ahmeti when Vetevendosje disagreed about the name.

“Just because you were in a meeting doesn’t mean you’re not lying. We would never stop the construction of such an important building because of a name,” Ismaili said. He later apparently texted Mayor Ahmeti and informed Peci once again that, according to Ahmeti, Vetevendosje never opposed naming the building after Rugova.

NISMA’s Raca reacted to all of the squabble by saying that witnessing the disagreements on names makes him want to cry.

“[The central and local governments] need to be more dignified and create necessary spaces for artists, because at the end of the day it is the artists that represent the country,” said Raca.

Kastriot Jahaj from the recently established Alternativa party joined in the cacophony by blaming Raca, saying that it was his coalition that brought Kosovo’s culture to this state. Raca responded, confused at the accusations: “Was NISMA ever in power?”

His fellow-coalition representative, AAK’s Arber Vllahiu, former journalist and BBC correspondent, tried to steer the debate in the right direction by admitting that the state of culture was bad, but LDK should take accountability.

“LDK led the Ministry of Culture and it is the one that should be held responsible for the state of culture,” said Vllahiu.

A relentless Ismaili continued sparring by admitting that he was enjoying himself.

“It’s a great pleasure to see these two coalitions fighting – you both brought us to this state, you both sabotaged each other,” said Ismaili, implying that former coalition partners PDK and LDK were equally to blame. “You both sabotaged the Prishtina municipality and Shpend [Ahmeti]!”

Ismaili also discussed the issue of Prishtina’s buses, which were delayed for almost two years because the Ministry of Finance had not signed the guarantee for a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EBRD, loan.

“For 1.5 years we’ve waited for Prishtina to set a location for the natural museum. In Fushe Kosove, the mayor found one in two weeks,” responded Peci accusingly. Ismaili demanded to see the protocol number of the request, saying the municipality never found it. “This is another lie!” Ismaili bellowed.

The debate then returned to the Prishtina stadium, with the candidates promising that its construction would be completed as soon as possible.

However, Faton Peci said that his rivals were uninformed about the process.

“I’m sorry that I’m in a panel with uninformed people. On September 5, Kosovo will play its first international game at the Prishtina stadium. In two weeks, the Olympic stadium in Mitrovica will also be finished,” he said.

Vllahiu responded: “If we judge them by what happened to the opera building – we don’t know when it will be finished with LDK.”

After another round of heated discussion on the issue of naming the opera and ballet theater, accusations were fired once again when Peci claimed that LDK established the first permanent list of cultural heritage under legal protection. Ismaili retorted that the list was drafted by an independent institution, claiming LDK had nothing to do with it.

The heated discussion faltered when moderator Xharra demanded it to stop and went to a commercial break.

The debate sizzled out as Xharra asked a round of quick questions to all parties, pressing them on issues of hiring an apolitical Culture Minister and investments to sport clubs, such as the judo club in Peja, which raised the Olympic-winner Majlinda Kelmendi.

Vllahiu agreed that a political appointee was not necessary to become Minister, while Peci said that LDK’s current Minister, Kujtim Shala, has written “more literary works than he has years.” Vetevendosje also said that apolitical people from the sector would be welcomed.

With regards to sports clubs, Peci said that the Ministry cannot support clubs directly because they are supported by municipalities. Meanwhile Vetevendosje’s Ismaili said that they would invest in sports like they did in Prishtina, where they fixed ruined sports fields and created spaces for individuals with disabilities.

#DebatPernime continues through the election campaign every night on RTV21 and Facebook Live on KALLXO.com, starting at 7.50 pm.