Hysni Mehani, a senior member of Albin Kurti’s ruling Vetevendosje, and acting Deputy Minister of Finance, accused Skenderaj/Srbica Mayor Sami Lushtaku, of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, of assaulting him in the town centre.

Mehani sustained head injuries while another Vetevendosje official was also assaulted.

The incident comes three weeks before Kosovo voters elect a new parliament in snap polls triggered by parliament’s failure to elect a new President last month.

On Facebook, along with an attached photo of Mehani, Vetevendosje alleged: “Today, at the ‘Solo’ cafe in the centre of Skenderaj, Deputy Minister of Finance, parliamentary candidate and head of the LVV branch in Skenderaj, Hysni Mehani, was brutally attacked by the Mayor of Skenderaj, Sami Lushtaku, and his bodyguards.”

Police went to the scene but no official version of the incident had been offered by the time of publication.

Vetevendosje urged the authorities to “urgently investigate the incident and take legal action against those responsible”, while also urging the PDK to publicly condemn the attack.

Lushtaku himself responded minutes later on Facebook, claiming members of Vetevendosje had attempted to attack him, and that members of the public had reacted in his defence.

“Albin Kurti’s government, through its mechanisms, attempted to attack me today in Skenderaj. I have spent my life serving the country, and citizens no longer tolerate labels such as ‘Sami Serbia,’ which is why they reacted,” Lushtaku wrote.

Lushtaku was referring to Mehani’s Facebook post of April 10, when he nicknamed the Skenderaj Mayor “Sami Serbia”.

“Sami Serbia is breaking us [Kosovo] up with the United States, by closing down parallel structures without any coordination with our American friends,” Mehani wrote, the day after the municipality closed a Serbian government-run health institution in a Serb-majority village.

Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti also mentioned the incident at the start of a government session. “Such actions do not intimidate us or push us to withdraw from the political race in any city,” he said, calling on police and judicial institutions to take urgent action.

Acting President Albulena Haxhiu also condemned the incident. “Physical violence in public life is a direct violation of citizens’ security, freedom of political activity, and democratic culture itself. Public office is not a shelter for arrogance nor a shield for using physical force against political opponents,” Haxhiu said.

Blerta Deliu, a PDK MP, meanwhile, condemned both sides in a Facebook post, saying violence is not a solution – but adding: “Neither are provocations, threats and systematic accusations.

“When, for years on end, the language of hatred, division and dehumanisation is instilled, the consequences do not take long to appear. One leads to the other. It has always been like this,” Deliu wrote.

The nearby Mitrovica Hospital said two people from Skenderaj were admitted for emergency treatment. “Both individuals had sustained injuries, with one suffering physical injuries to the face and head, while the other had scratches and minor bodily injuries,” the hospital notified.

Skenderaj was once a stronghold of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and pre-election incidents between PDK and Vetevendosje there have often made headlines. In February 2021, a group of around 30 people threw eggs and jeered at Kurti while he was holding a pre-election meeting in a hall with Vetevendosje supporters.

In January 2025, PDK supporters chanted against Kurti as he was holding a pre-election rally in the town centre. Months later, in June, Kurti’s escort was jeered while visiting the town to inaugurate a kindergarten. Three police officers were temporarily suspended after the incident.