Reuters: Justina Shiroka-Pula elected president of Kosovo, saving the country from snap elections

Reuters has reported on the election of Justina Shiroka-Pula as Kosovo’s new president.

Shiroka-Pula secured 81 votes from the 120 lawmakers, receiving just one vote more than the minimum required for her election. Had a president not been elected within the deadline, Kosovo would have faced snap parliamentary elections, as it had in June.

After being confirmed in office, the new president declared that her mandate was not individual but belonged to all the citizens of Kosovo.

“This mandate does not belong to just one person. It belongs to our citizens. I will be the president of all citizens,” Shiroka-Pula said.

Her election was made possible by a political agreement between Vetëvendosje, the governing party of Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and the Democratic Party of Kosovo. The agreement concerned changes to the powers of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

According to Reuters, on Monday police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters calling for the approval of legal changes that would limit the powers of the court in The Hague. The protests took place after the conviction of former President Hashim Thaçi and three other former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

On September 16, Thaçi was sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes, while Jakup Krasniqi also received 25 years, Kadri Veseli 18 years and Rexhep Selimi 13 years. The combined sentence for the four defendants amounted to 81 years. All of them have denied the allegations and have the right to appeal.