Former President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, has shared her memories from her time at the helm of the state, describing the political context that led to her election and the challenges she faced during her five-year term.
During a lecture at the “Prishtina International Summer University” on leadership, women’s empowerment and peacebuilding, Jahjaga stressed that her decision to accept the candidacy was not motivated by personal interests, but by the need to overcome the political blockade and restore institutional stability.
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She recalled that between 2010 and 2011, Kosovo was facing deep political instability. According to constitutional provisions, if the president was not elected in the third round of voting, the country would be forced to hold early elections. At that time, within a year, Kosovo was on the brink of its third parliamentary round, while the political scene was extremely polarized. Jahjaga noted that the situation was even more delicate because the country was only in its third year after the declaration of independence, and some crises, under certain circumstances, could have been hard to manage or could have translated into negative consequences for the future.
Because political parties could not secure the necessary votes for their proposed candidates, the need arose for a consensus figure with integrity and experience in public service.
Jahjaga said that her name appeared on the list of candidates precisely because of her long career in the Kosovo Police. The main criteria, according to her, were high integrity, a clean past, and proven public service. She believes that her over 15-year experience in state administration, started immediately after the war as a young lawyer, made her name suitable. She joined the Kosovo Police, a male-dominated institution, with the aim of introducing the role of women into that structure, in a society she described as deeply patriarchal, where some professions were seen as exclusively for men.
The former president emphasized that throughout, her priority was the interest of the state and citizens, not her personal interest. She added that she had been raised with the belief that a high position does not belong to you, but to the country and the people. For this reason, refusing the offer was almost impossible, as the country was sinking deeper and deeper into crisis. Thus, she agreed to be the consensus candidate and, to her surprise, was elected in the first round with over 80% of the votes, making history as the first female president in Kosovo and Southeast Europe, and one of the youngest, just 35 years old. She was fully aware of the heavy burden she carried on her shoulders.
During her mandate, Jahjaga aimed for the presidential cabinet to have high representation of women and young people. Initially, the goal was for women to make up half of the staff, but later their share exceeded 70%. She believes that her presidency contributed to empowering women’s role in Kosovo’s institutional and political life.
Jahjaga pointed out that when she took office, women’s representation was based almost entirely on quotas, but today that quota has been exceeded. She added that in 2011, the institution of the Presidency enjoyed less than 12% public trust, while after five years, according to official polls, she left it with over 50% trust, and unofficial polls exceeded 70%. She expressed pride that this increase in trust was owed to the institution, not to her person.
Atifete Jahjaga was elected president in 2011 and served until 2016, being the first and youngest woman at the head of the state of Kosovo.
