DioGuardi as Kosovo’s president? Experts assess the proposal and legal conditions

Acting President of Kosovo Albulena Haxhiu presented former U.S. Congressman Joe DioGuardi and his wife, Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, with their decrees granting them Kosovo citizenship during a special ceremony on Monday.

Joe DioGuardi and Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi are among the American figures who have strongly supported the Kosovo Albanians and the process of its independence.

After the ceremony, DioGuardi addressed Kosovo’s politicians and citizens with a message on overcoming the institutional crisis, calling for the country’s president to be elected as soon as possible. He also urged Albanians to remain attentive and vigilant, saying that Kosovo faces well-prepared opponents seeking to disrupt the balance and destabilize the Balkans.

While DioGuardi appealed for the president to be elected, ideas and calls for him to take the post himself also began circulating in the public sphere.

Albanian-American activist Ramazan Bekteshi has proposed that Joe DioGuardi be elected president of Kosovo, while also raising the question of whether being born outside Kosovo’s territory would constitute a legal obstacle.

Bekteshi explained that DioGuardi officially became a citizen of the Republic of Kosovo on August 24, 2026, but pointed out that his candidacy would face the legal requirement of permanent residence in Kosovo for at least 10 years.

According to Bekteshi, the idea should be viewed more as a hypothetical and satirical scenario in political terms, while he praised DioGuardi’s many years of support for Kosovo.

“I want Joseph DioGuardi to become President of Kosovo! To be President of Kosovo, do you have to have been born in Kosovo? Under Article 85 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, any citizen of the Republic of Kosovo who is at least 35 years old may be elected president. The Constitution does not require the person to have been born in Kosovo,” Bekteshi wrote.

Albanian publicist Adriatik Riza Dosti considers it possible for DioGuardi to hold an honorary role at the head of state.

Dosti said that several U.S. congressmen and senators, including DioGuardi, could hold the status of president of Kosovo or special adviser to the president. He described the granting of Kosovo citizenship to DioGuardi as long overdue.

“For what they have done for Albania and, especially, for Kosovo, DioGuardi in particular, as well as two or three other American congressmen and senators—including Dole and Engel, who unfortunately are no longer alive—could have held and could hold the status of President of Kosovo or special adviser to the President of Kosovo.

“The way Kosovo citizenship was granted to DioGuardi is completely normal in my view—indeed, overdue. Everyone who has contributed and continues to contribute to Kosovo over the years should be honored and respected in various ways,” Dosti told Bota sot.

According to him, DioGuardi could be declared honorary president, while the president of the Republic should be a Kosovo Albanian, an intellectual figure and someone who serves the national interest and unity.

“I am absolutely of the opinion that Kosovo’s president should be a Kosovo Albanian, an intellectual figure who strongly serves the national interest and unity, rather than political parties or their leaders. In a way, he should be a national symbol in his own right. Therefore, he should also be national and consensual, above everyone else, for the good of the country and its people—a factor of unity, not division.

“In DioGuardi’s particular case, considering his age and health, I would agree that he should be Honorary President of Kosovo for as long as he lives. DioGuardi is something of an exception because he is of Albanian family origin. His father was an Arbëresh, was born in the Arbër lands and has purely Albanian blood—something DioGuardi and his family themselves have made public several times and many years ago,” the publicist said.

Analyst Gani Qarri believes that DioGuardi, even if elected president, would receive the full support of the United States.

In comments to the newspaper Bota sot, Qarri described him as the best advocate for Kosovo and the Albanian people in the United States.

“His Excellency, Mr. Joseph DioGuardi, is the number one and only prestigious Albanian candidate of international renown who, even as president of the Republic of Kosovo, would consistently enjoy the unwavering support of the United States. He would also have the U.S. Congress itself as a secure shield and permanent vanguard for advancing Kosovo’s cause—the Congress being the decision-making ‘home’ of the United States, where Mr. DioGuardi’s political engagement has continued successfully for more than 40 years.

“Joseph DioGuardi is very well known to everyone in the U.S. Congress and state politics for his tireless contribution and continued commitment to Kosovo, from the meetings organized in Congress on Kosovo to the discussions of prominent senators such as Tom Lantos, Bob Dole, Alfonse D’Amato and Dana Rohrabacher, among others, as well as the resolutions passed almost unanimously by the United States in support of Kosovo and the Albanian national cause.

“DioGuardi was the first Albanian-American voting member of the U.S. Congress. In 1989, he also founded the Albanian American Civil League, the first organization of its kind in the United States. Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, Joseph DioGuardi’s wife and ‘Adviser on Balkan Affairs,’ has consistently assisted Mr. DioGuardi in the successful leadership of this renowned Albanian organization.”

Qarri also recalled DioGuardi’s visits to Kosovo and his efforts to raise awareness among U.S. institutions about the situation of the Albanians.

“Joseph DioGuardi was and remains the best advocate for Kosovo and the Albanian people in the United States. In May 1990, together with Senator Tom Lantos, who was also a Holocaust survivor, he visited Kosovo, becoming—along with Lantos—the first senior U.S. officials to experience firsthand the terrifying political situation and learn the tragic truth on the ground, seeing with their own eyes the suffering of Albanians under the state terror of the Serbian occupiers.

“Only about three months later, in August 1990, Mr. DioGuardi visited Kosovo together with Mr. Bob Dole, who on August 29, 1990, brought six other U.S. senators with him. This is also considered a historic visit to Kosovo. In 1998, Joseph DioGuardi visited Kosovo again, this time with Dana Rohrabacher, to learn in as much detail as possible about the sorrowful wartime crisis and the humanitarian catastrophe caused by Serbia against Kosovo’s Albanians,” Qarri said.

The analyst believes DioGuardi could serve as a unifying figure for Albanian political entities and as a further bridge between Kosovo and the United States.

Qarri linked the proposal to the current institutional situation, which he described as a turbulent period of political uncertainty that, in his view, has been continuing for nearly two years.

He criticized the clashes and blockades between the parties, warning that they were damaging the functioning of the state and making it more difficult to form a stable government.

In such circumstances, Qarri considers DioGuardi a potentially acceptable name for all Albanian political entities.

“There are more than sufficient arguments for Mr. Joseph DioGuardi, after receiving citizenship, to be unanimously appointed and elected by acclamation, in the highest ceremonial form, by all Albanian parties in the Assembly as President of the Republic of Kosovo,” Qarri emphasized.

According to him, DioGuardi is a “patriotic Albanian-Arbëresh with more than half a century of political and diplomatic experience,” and could therefore be a “unique and unrefusable candidate for all parliamentary entities.”

Qarri said DioGuardi enjoys broad respect among Albanians because, for more than four decades, he has contributed, in his view, to the cause of Albanians in Kosovo, Illyrida, Çamëria, Eastern Kosovo and the Albanian lands in Montenegro.

“The CEREMONIAL appointment of Joseph DioGuardi as president is made virtually insurmountable by his long and sincere contribution, which was all the more successful and carried out at the most critical moments in unwavering support of Kosovo, our national cause, and the human, educational and national rights of members of the Albanian people throughout all our ethnic lands,” the analyst said.

Referring to the August 26 meeting between acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti and LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku, Qarri expressed hope that DioGuardi’s name had been among the candidates discussed for president.

“I hope that at the August 26 meeting between Prime Minister Kurti and Mr. Abdixhiku, among the names proposed by the two parties in discussions, Mr. DioGuardi’s name was honored by being among the first,” he wrote.

According to Qarri, the citizenship granted to DioGuardi and his wife could be the first step toward his broader involvement in Kosovo’s political life.

He stressed that DioGuardi has special merits for Kosovo’s liberation, independence, survival and state-building.

“Mr. Joseph DioGuardi has special merits and has contributed for several decades—substantially and tirelessly—without ever stopping, right up to the present day,” Qarri emphasized.

The analyst also proposed changing the way the president is elected, arguing that the current institutional crisis could push the political class to amend the Constitution.

Qarri believes that the president should not be elected solely by the Assembly, but directly by the citizens of Kosovo.

“The deadlock over electing the head of state will sooner or later force the political establishment to amend the Constitution and revise its provisions on the election of the president in a more solid manner—not by the Assembly, but by the people of Kosovo,” Qarri wrote.

He called for the change to be implemented urgently in order to avoid a repetition of crises that, according to him, have been linked for nearly two years to the inability to secure a quorum of 80 lawmakers in session.

Qarri also called for the removal of the criterion requiring a presidential candidate to have lived in Kosovo during the previous 10 years.

“It is enough for him to be an Albanian, an intellectual and a proven patriot,” he wrote, noting that figures such as DioGuardi or Faton Bislimi could contribute to Kosovo from the United States as well.

According to him, the importance of the United States as a center of global politics makes the involvement of influential Albanian figures in that country essential. He also mentioned the headquarters of the Security Council and the United Nations, where Kosovo seeks to join as an independent state with full rights.

Qarri believes that such an objective can be achieved only with the support of the United States and figures who command respect and influence in American politics, among them Joseph DioGuardi.

Another advantage DioGuardi has, according to Qarri, is his many years of experience in the U.S. Congress and the relationships he has built with important political figures in the United States.

“DioGuardi as President of Kosovo, at a time like this and amid the turbulent moments in global politics, is the only Albanian candidate who would consistently enjoy U.S. support and would have the U.S. Congress itself as a secure shield and permanent guardian of Kosovo’s cause,” Qarri further emphasized.

He recalled that the U.S. Congress had been the center of DioGuardi’s political activity, through which he had worked for more than 40 years on behalf of Kosovo and the Albanian national cause.

In this context, Qarri mentioned the meetings held on Kosovo, discussions by prominent congressmen and resolutions adopted almost unanimously in support of Kosovo and the Albanian national issue.

The analyst also discussed DioGuardi’s role in supporting Albanians in what was then Macedonia, particularly efforts to open the University of Tetovo.

According to Qarri, the establishment of the first Albanian-language university for Albanians in Illyrida was more than a human-rights issue, as it represented a vital national interest.

He also recalled a statement DioGuardi made during a ceremony at which he was awarded the title of “Honoris Causa” by the University of Kosovo. On that occasion, DioGuardi stated that he had not been motivated by money or financial benefits during his activities.

“DioGuardi was never deceived by money or by even the greatest temptations of financial gain. Instead, always and every time, he gave priority solely to the national cause, which for him was and remained number one,” Qarri said.

Qarri added that DioGuardi had devoted his entire life to the cause of Kosovo and the Albanians in Illyrida, linking this commitment also to efforts to establish the University of Tetovo.

In conclusion, he described DioGuardi as a multifaceted figure with extensive political experience and broad knowledge of international diplomacy.

Qarri considers it an honor and a source of pride for Kosovo if DioGuardi were to receive the support of all Albanian lawmakers, regardless of their party affiliation.

“Therefore, it would be a special honor and source of pride for the state and people of Kosovo if a multifaceted figure such as Mr. DioGuardi, with extensive political experience and broad knowledge of international diplomacy, secured the votes of all Albanian lawmakers, regardless of party,” Qarri concluded.

He urged institutions and political parties not to squander this opportunity, saying that such a figure could serve as a factor of unity, help consolidate Kosovo’s institutions, strengthen relations with the United States, advance its Euro-Atlantic path and support its goal of membership in the United Nations.