The Ulcinj police are still investigating the individual responsible for throwing an unidentified chemical device into the local parliament hall on the night of May 29, 2024. This event interrupted a session where the removal of the former mayor, Omer Bajraktari (Civil Movement URA), was being considered.

The Basic State Prosecutor’s Office (ODT) in Ulcinj confirmed to “Vijesti” that they initiated a case immediately following the incident.

“We are informing you that a case has been opened against unknown perpetrators regarding the incident involving the activation of a chemical device. Furthermore, the ODT has requested the Police Directorate OB (Security Department) Ulcinj to gather information, prompting police officers to undertake necessary measures within their authority to identify and apprehend the culprits. However, the officers from the Police Directorate OB Ulcinj have not yet located the individuals in question,” stated the ODT’s response to the newspaper’s inquiries.

In late August of the previous year, “Vijesti” reported that the latest evidentiary measure undertaken was the collection of communication records.

“The execution of this evidentiary action has been referred to the Police Directorate. To date, no report has been submitted by the Police Directorate,” the Ulcinj prosecutor’s office remarked to the newspaper.

As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the Police Department had not provided “Vijesti” with answers regarding their actions related to the incident that occurred in late May last year in the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly (MA) hall, including the surveillance video footage and the communication records review as instructed by the local prosecutor’s office.

The incident unfolded late at night during an extraordinary session of the Ulcinj parliament, specifically when the discussion centered on the dismissal of then-mayor Bajraktari. The throwing of an unidentified chemical device led to chaos in the municipal hall, prompting councilors to evacuate to the front of the municipality building, where ambulances and police vehicles were stationed. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

The Ulcinj ODT indicated to “Vijesti” that police were working to determine whether the substance used was tear gas, pepper spray, or something else entirely. Preliminary investigation results indicated that tear gas was not involved, but rather another chemical agent.

A little later, the extraordinary session of the Municipal Assembly resumed, and shortly after midnight, Bajraktari was dismissed from his position by the votes of 20 councilors in attendance. Subsequently, the new assembly majority appointed Genci Nimanbegu (Forca) as the new head of the Municipality.

Political tensions in Ulcinj began escalating in April of last year, approximately one month before the planned rotation of the Mayor and the head of the Municipal Assembly, previously held by Bajraktari and Ardijan Mavrić (Forca).

The government in Ulcinj was established following the 2022 elections by the coalition “For a New Start” (comprising the Civil Movement URA, Democratic Party, Social Democrats, Social Democratic Party, and Albanian Alternative) alongside Forca.

However, as “Vijesti” previously reported, this majority was merely a formality during the spring of last year, since the Civic Movement URA and the Albanian Alternative had reached an agreement with the then-opposition Democratic Union of Albanians (DUA) for the latter to join local power. There were rumors that the Civic Movement URA aimed to oust Forca from governance through this maneuver.

Nonetheless, the Democratic Party, Social Democrats, and the Social Democratic Party rejected this scenario, leading Forca to ink an agreement with them and the then-opposition Democratic Party of Socialists to forge a new ruling coalition, which is set to govern until the forthcoming local elections in early 2026.

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