Justina Shiroka-Pula elected president, Parliament approves amendments to the Special Court

Kosovo’s Parliament held two extraordinary sessions at midnight on October 6, during which it approved, in second reading, the amended law on the Special Court and elected the country’s new president. The political agreement averted snap parliamentary elections.

With 81 votes in favor, Justina Shiroka-Pula was elected president. Until then, she had headed the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts. Agreement on her candidacy was reached at the last moment between the two largest parliamentary forces, the Vetëvendosje Movement and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

After her election, in her first speech, Shiroka-Pula declared that she would be “the president of all the citizens of Kosovo.”

“This mandate belongs not only to one person; it belongs to our citizens, our institutions and the state for which many generations sacrificed. I will be the president of all citizens. I will work for unity, justice, development and the strengthening of our institutions,” the new president said.

According to her, Kosovo must continue on its path as a democratic and secure state, with a clear Euro-Atlantic orientation and strong friendly relations with its allies.

“I will defend the Constitution, the interests of the Republic and the dignity of our citizens. I believe in Kosovo and its people, and I believe that together we can build a better future for the generations to come. May God bless the Republic of Kosovo,” she said at the end of her speech.

The presidential election process was preceded throughout Tuesday by a public clash between Prime Minister Albin Kurti and PDK leader Bedri Hamza. Both sides accused each other of causing an institutional deadlock, while the approach of midnight increased the risk that Kosovo would go to snap elections, in line with the constitutional deadlines.

Bedri Hamza demanded that the amended law on the Special Court first be put to a second-reading vote. Prime Minister Kurti, on the other hand, insisted that the president should be elected first and the law approved afterward. An agreement was reached just minutes before midnight, setting out that the law would be voted on first, followed by the election of Justina Shiroka-Pula as head of state.

This sequence of actions was implemented, while hundreds of citizens gathered near the Parliament building protested, demanding the approval of the law on the Special Court.

After the agreement, Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that Kosovo now had stable institutions. “The Republic has a new president, Professor Justina Shiroka-Pula. Kosovo has stable institutions. We also have the amended law on the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, and we will work together for the success of the former KLA leaders in the appeals process,” Kurti said.

PDK leader Bedri Hamza also welcomed the agreement, describing Tuesday as an important day following the approval of the amendments to the Law on the Special Court and the election of the president.

“It is a very important day because today Parliament approved the law on the Specialist Chambers. We do not wish to obstruct justice. On the contrary, we want to ensure justice. We want justice to be guaranteed for the struggle of our people and the KLA, through oversight, transparency and accountability,” Hamza said.

He also declared that the Democratic Party of Kosovo would cooperate with the new president, Justina Shiroka-Pula.

Justina Shiroka-Pula had been elected head of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts several months earlier. The 73-year-old economist previously worked as a lecturer at the University of Pristina and is the first woman to head the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts (ASHAK).

Following Kosovo’s declaration of independence, she served from 2008 to 2011 as minister of energy and mining in the government led by Hashim Thaçi.

Shiroka-Pula has also been active in civil society, primarily in the empowerment of women, gender equality, business development and entrepreneurship. / DW