(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 06 OTT - Tensions were high outside the Kosovo Assembly, where police responded to protesters launching fireworks with special units and tear gas. Eight people were injured, including a police officer, and traffic on the main road came to a halt. The protest coincides with the final vote on amendments to the law governing the Hague-based Special Court and the election of the country's president. On Monday, the Assembly approved a draft proposal, backed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), in its first reading; the amendments must be passed before Kosovo's new president is elected. In contrast, Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ruling party insists that the head of state be elected first. The current president's term ends today; without an election, Kosovo faces a new institutional crisis and fresh elections—the fourth in roughly two years. (ANSA).