The 2013 protests began in
Pristina
Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians an ...
,
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
after in response to high electricity bills. Sparked by comments on
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
, more than 1000 people gathered in front of Kosovo's Electricity Corporation building in February. The protests continued for several weeks, eventually turning into a protest against corruption. Some of the main slogans from the protest where "KEK pumping bills", "No country with thieves," and "Stop the theft, develop the state". In May, protests spread to other cities in Kosovo.
The government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
responded cautiously during the protests, promising fulfillment of all requirements set by protesters.
Impact
Because of the protest, a planned increase of 5% for the electricity bill was halted. The Parliament started an investigation which resulted in a detailed report sent to the Government and Electricity Regulatory Authority of Kosovo. It was also seen as an notable protest because it was one of the rare ones in Kosovo started by the population without any involvement from political parties or NGO's.
Protests in Kosovo
Agon Hamza 2013, socialist.ca
See also
*1981 protests in Kosovo
In March and April 1981, a student protest in Pristina, the capital of the then Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, led to widespread protests by Kosovo Albanians demanding more autonomy within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ...
* 2014 student protest in Kosovo
References
External links
Kosovo Protests World Bank and U.S. Plans for New Coal
huffingtonpost.com
Government responds to corruption protests
SETimes's
Violent protest announced in Pristina
infoglobi.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosovo protests, 2013
2013 protests
Protests in Kosovo
2013 in Kosovo
History of the Republic of Kosovo
2013 in politics