Archive · 7 Oct 2026
Kosovo Elects New President, Averting Another Snap Election
Kosovo’s parliament chose Justina Shiroka Pula to be the country’s new president.
She won 81 votes, just enough to pass the required number.
If lawmakers had not chosen a president by the deadline, the country would have had another election.
Her selection followed an agreement between the governing party and an opposition party about changing the powers of a war crimes court.
Some people say the court’s punishments are too harsh.
Protesters called for the changes, and police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse them.
The president’s job is mostly ceremonial, but choosing one has caused political problems before.
Shiroka Pula said she would be president for all citizens.
Kosovo’s parliament elected economist Justina Shiroka Pula president shortly before a constitutional deadline.
She received 81 votes in the 120-seat parliament, one more than the number required.
The vote avoided snap parliamentary elections, which would have followed if parliament failed to elect a president.
Her election followed a deal between the ruling Vetevendosje party and the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo to limit the powers of the Hague war crimes court.
The court sentenced former president Hashim Thaci and three others to a combined 81 years in prison for war crimes on September 16.
- Who
- Kosovo parliament and newly elected president Justina Shiroka Pula.
- What
- Parliament elected Shiroka Pula president with 81 votes, avoiding snap parliamentary elections.
- When
- Wednesday, October 7, shortly before a constitutional deadline.
- Where
- Kosovo; the vote took place in parliament in Pristina.
- Why
- Parliament needed to elect a president before the constitutional deadline to avoid snap elections.
Calls to limit the court’s powers
Concerns over the court and its punishments
Changing the Hague court’s powers
Calls to limit the court’s powers
Demonstrators demanded that changes limiting the court’s powers be approved.
Concerns over the court and its punishments
The report says critics have argued that the court’s punishments are too harsh; it does not describe their position on the proposed changes.
- President-elect
- Justina Shiroka Pula
- Vote result
- 81 votes in a 120-seat parliament
- Required votes
- 80, according to the report
- Consequence avoided
- Snap parliamentary elections
- Political agreement
- The ruling Vetevendosje party and the Democratic Party of Kosovo agreed to limit the powers of the Hague war crimes court.
- Court sentences
- On September 16, Hashim Thaci and three others were sentenced to a combined 81 years in prison for war crimes.
- Shiroka Pula’s background
- Born in 1953, she is an economics professor and president of Kosovo’s Academy of Sciences and Arts; she served as economy minister from 2008 to 2011.