Justina Shiroka Pula elected President of Kosovo

The presidential election in Kosovo was completed just hours before the constitutional deadline for the dissolution of the Assembly. 73-year-old Justina Shiroka Pula, President of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo (ASHAK), was elected as the country's new president in a vote held at the General Assembly.

The Constitutional Court of Kosovo had announced in a decision on September 23 that the 60-day period stipulated for the election of a new president by members of parliament began on August 8 and would end on October 6, at which point the Assembly would be dissolved. Consequently, negotiations between political parties were of critical importance until the final day.

The presidential candidates proposed by Prime Minister Albin Kurti during the day failed to receive support from opposition parties. In the evening, Kurti presented ASHAK President Shiroka Pula as a candidate. This proposal was accepted by the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

Prior to the presidential vote, the PDK conditioned its support on an amendment to the law regulating the activities of the court in The Hague, which handles trials related to former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders. The General Assembly voted on the aforementioned legislative amendment before proceeding to the presidential election.

RECEIVED 81 VOTES IN THE BALLOT

The regulation, which envisions limiting the jurisdiction of the court in The Hague and allowing certain cases to be heard within the Kosovo judiciary, includes provisions such as setting upper limits for certain sentences and allowing some sentences to be served in Kosovo. The crowd waiting in front of the Assembly building for the bill to be passed celebrated following the vote.

Following the legislative amendment, the session moved to the presidential election. In addition to Justina Shiroka Pula, PDK MP Eliza Hoxha was also nominated. 84 members of parliament participated in the vote in the 120-seat Assembly. Shiroka Pula received 81 votes, while Hoxha received 1 vote; 2 votes were declared invalid.

After the results were finalized, Shiroka Pula arrived at the General Assembly hall and took the oath of office. The new president stated that she would be the president of all citizens of Kosovo and that she would work to protect the country's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

Shiroka Pula, who worked as an academic in the field of economics for many years, served as the Minister of Energy and Mining of Kosovo between 2008 and 2011. Pula, who served as a member of parliament from 2011 to 2014, was elected President of ASHAK in December 2025.