Kosovo parliament elects Justina Shiroka Pula as president, averting snap vote
In short
Lawmakers in Kosovo elected economist and academic Justina Shiroka Pula as president in a late-night session, moments before a constitutional deadline that would have forced an early election, the Associated Press reported. Just before the vote, parliament approved a law limiting the powers of the Hague-based Specialist Chambers, which investigates war crimes by the Kosovo Liberation Army. Thousands of protesters had gathered outside parliament demanding the law pass; Bloomberg reported 12 people were lightly injured in protests late Monday.
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Lawmakers in Kosovo elected economist and academic Justina Shiroka Pula as the country's new president in a marathon late-night session, moments before a constitutional deadline that would have forced a snap election, the Associated Press reported. She secured 81 votes in the 120-seat parliament during an extraordinary session. [ 5 , 6 ]
Just before Shiroka Pula was elected, lawmakers approved a law limiting the powers of a special court in The Hague, the Netherlands, known as the Specialist Chambers, which was set up to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army during the country's 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia, according to the AP. Bloomberg reported separately that a last-minute agreement between political parties covered both the court law and the presidential election, averting an early vote. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
Outside parliament, thousands of protesters had gathered demanding that the legislature pass the law limiting the war crimes court's powers, the AP reported. Bloomberg reported that protests escalated late Monday as police used tear gas to disperse the crowd after demonstrators threw fireworks at the parliament building in Pristina, and that 12 people were lightly injured, including one police officer, according to the capital's emergency centre. No other outlet in the documents confirmed those casualty figures. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
The AP described the vote as a significant moment in a political crisis in the small Balkan nation that has caused legislative deadlock for more than 19 months and two early parliamentary elections. Reuters reported in an English headline that the parliament elected a new president and avoided an early election, and published a French headline with the same message. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Shiroka Pula recently served as president of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo and will become the country's third female president since post-war independence, according to the AP. She was a last-minute consensus candidate backed by the ruling Self-Determination movement and the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo. The AP noted that the role of president in Kosovo is largely ceremonial, though office holders play an important part in foreign policy and serve as commander-in-chief of the armed forces; she will have to endorse the law limiting the Hague court's power for it to become binding. [ 5 , 6 ]
In her speech after taking the oath late Tuesday, Shiroka Pula said: “Today, I accept with great honor and full responsibility the duty of President of the Republic of Kosovo.” She added: “This mandate does not belong to one person alone, it belongs to our citizens, our institutions, and the state for which many generations have sacrificed,” according to the AP. [ 5 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The vote ends, at least for now, a political deadlock the AP says has lasted more than 19 months and follows two early parliamentary elections. The law limiting the Hague-based Specialist Chambers touches on war-crimes accountability for the 1998-99 independence war, a subject with international backing, and still needs the new president's endorsement to become binding. The new president's office is largely ceremonial but carries a role in foreign policy and command of the armed forces.
Key facts
- Kosovo's parliament elected economist and academic Justina Shiroka Pula as president with 81 votes in the 120-seat chamber. [ 5 , 6 ]
- The vote took place in a marathon late-night session on Tuesday, shortly before a constitutional deadline that would have triggered a snap election. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Just before the president was elected, lawmakers approved a law limiting the powers of the Specialist Chambers, a court in The Hague set up to prosecute war crimes by the Kosovo Liberation Army during the 1998-99 war. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Thousands of protesters gathered outside parliament demanding that the legislature pass the law limiting the war crimes court's powers. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Bloomberg reported that protests escalated late Monday as police used tear gas after demonstrators threw fireworks at the parliament building, with 12 people lightly injured including one police officer. [ 1 ]
- Bloomberg reported that parties reached a last-minute agreement to limit the war crimes court's powers and elect Shiroka-Pula, averting an early vote. [ 2 ]
- The new president recently served as president of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo and was a last-minute consensus candidate of the ruling Self-Determination movement and the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo. [ 5 , 6 ]
- The president must endorse the law limiting the Hague court's powers for it to become binding. [ 5 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Kosovo's parliament elected Justina Shiroka Pula as president, avoiding a snap election. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Lawmakers approved a law limiting the powers of the Hague-based war crimes court known as the Specialist Chambers. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- The election took place shortly before a constitutional deadline that would have forced an early election. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- Protesters outside parliament demanded that lawmakers pass the law limiting the war crimes court's powers. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Justina Shiroka Pula has signed the law limiting the Hague court's powers. The documents say she will have to endorse the law for it to become binding but do not say whether she has done so.
- The number of people injured in the Pristina protests. Only Bloomberg reports figures — 12 lightly injured, including one police officer, per the capital's emergency centre — and no other outlet in the documents confirms them.
- The exact spelling of the new president's name. The Associated Press and The Seattle Times write “Justina Shiroka Pula” while Bloomberg writes “Justina Shiroka-Pula.”
- The full text of the Reuters reports on the election. Documents 3 and 4 carry only headlines, in English and French, with no article text or summary.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Bloomberg reports that protests escalated late Monday in Pristina, with police using tear gas after demonstrators threw fireworks at the parliament building and 12 people lightly injured. [ 1 ]
- Bloomberg reports that political parties reached a last-minute agreement to limit the war crimes court's powers and elect Justina Shiroka-Pula as president, averting a snap vote. [ 2 ]
- Reuters reports that Kosovo's parliament elected a new president, avoiding an early election. [ 3 ]
- Reuters publishes a French-language headline saying the parliament elected a new president and avoided early elections. [ 4 ]
- The Associated Press reports that the late-night session elected Shiroka Pula with 81 votes moments before the constitutional deadline, after lawmakers approved the law limiting the Specialist Chambers' powers. [ 5 ]
- The Seattle Times carries the same Associated Press report on the late-night vote. [ 6 ]