PRISTINA (Reuters) – Kosovo’s parliament has elected Foreign Minister Hashim Thaçi as the country’s new president in a tense session as opposition activists released tear gas in the chamber and threw petrol bombs outside the parliament building.
Opposition parties wanted parliament to suspend the vote, protesting that Thaçi helped broker an agreement with Serbia granting more autonomy to the ethnic Serb minority.
Thaçi will serve as president, largely a ceremonial role, for the next five years.