Lawyer shaves his head in protest but misses a spot

A lawyer brought out a shaver in front of reporters to protest his government’s failure to constitute an assembly for the fiftieth time in a row.

Standing in front of the Kosovo Assembly in Prishtina, attorney Arianit Koci defiantly shaved his white locks as onlookers filmed in awe.

He said of his actions: ‘They are a symbolic act. Our statehood in Kosovo is also being threatened. Friends and enemies are becoming convinced that we are not capable of maintaining a state.’

Though his actions were done to make a point, it appears the passion of the moment caused him to miss quite a few patches of hair. It can always grow back, right?

Koci has been met with support from Kosovans, who applauded his individual protest.

One supporter wrote: ‘You are the clear conscience of the nation! Every action of yours fills me with hope, and gives me the message that this country has no end.’

Another added: ‘Respect. Don’t mess with these fools.’

But the bizarre antics came as tensions in Kosovo continue to rise, as a political stalemate has persisted months after MPs were voted into office.

The deadlock stems from the fact that outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s party Vetevendosje, which topped February polls, did not win enough seats to have its choice for speaker installed.

PM Kurti has been accused by other MPs of ‘overthrowing constitutional order’ in Kosovo by not forming an assembly 162 days after the elections.

‘162 days is not a lot for Albin Kurti because for him, this time is part of a plan. For the overthrow of the constitutional order, for the delegitimisation of democracy and institutions and for the undoing of the very DNA of our society.

‘You will not succeed because this is not just a political crisis, it is a moral crisis, and we must stop it,’ MP Vlora Çitaku said.

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Koci brought donkeys (notoriously stubborn animals) outside the parliament last month in another form of protest about the deadlock.

Kosovo is no stranger to wild political moments. In 2023, chaos erupted when an opposition party member sprayed water at PM Kurti.

The brawl became so heated that police got involved to separate the politicians.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008 from Serbia. The country’s independence has continued to be threatened by Serbian nationalists.

The war between Kosovo and Serbia in the late 1990s saw thousands of ethnic Albanian Kosovars murdered by Serbian troops in what many dubbed a genocide.

The war ended when NATO intervened by beginning air strikes in March 1999, lasting a total of 78 days, which resulted in forces withdrawing from Kosovo.

By the end of the conflict, nearly 90% of Kosovo’s Albanian population had been displaced. Many fled to neighbouring countries, including Albania and Macedonia.

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