Kosovo’s parliament elected economist Justina Shiroka Pula as president early on Wednesday, 7 October, following a political agreement that averted another snap election. She secured 81 votes in the 120-seat assembly and took the oath of office after a session dominated by negotiations over changes to the country’s war-crimes court.
Shiroka Pula cleared the 80-vote threshold in the first round. Her election followed an agreement between Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s governing Vetëvendosje party and the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo, ending the immediate deadlock over the presidency.
In her address after the vote, she pledged to represent all citizens and presented the mandate as a responsibility towards the country’s people and institutions.
An economist with government experience
Born in 1953, Shiroka Pula is an economics professor and has led Kosovo’s Academy of Sciences and Arts. She previously served as energy and mining minister between 2008 and 2011 and subsequently as a member of parliament.
She enters a largely ceremonial presidency that has nevertheless become a recurring source of political instability. Disagreement over the choice of head of state has repeatedly complicated efforts to maintain functioning institutions.
Court legislation unlocks agreement
The political breakthrough came after lawmakers approved amendments concerning the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, the Hague-based court established to prosecute crimes connected with the Kosovo conflict.
The opposition had demanded passage of the amendments before supporting a presidential election. The legislation seeks to restrict the court’s jurisdiction and sentencing powers, but parliamentary approval alone does not settle whether those changes can take effect.
The dispute had drawn protesters onto the streets of Pristina earlier in the week, with police using tear gas and water cannon during clashes outside government buildings.
Timing leaves questions unresolved
The presidential ballot began shortly before a midnight constitutional deadline, while proceedings continued into Wednesday. That timing has prompted questions about a possible legal challenge, although none was immediately announced.
Shiroka Pula’s election provides a route out of the immediate institutional impasse. However, the court legislation and questions surrounding the parliamentary timetable leave unresolved issues at the beginning of her five-year term.
Newshub Editorial in Europe – 7 October 2026
Kosovo’s parliament elected economist Justina Shiroka Pula as president early on Wednesday, 7 October, following a political agreement that averted another snap election. She secured 81 votes in the 120-seat assembly and took the oath of office after a session dominated by negotiations over changes to the country’s war-crimes court.
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