Kosovo parliament elects new president, avoiding snap election
The deal followed protests and convictions of four former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders, and the amendments cap Specialist Chambers sentences at 15 years.
- In the early minutes of Oct 7, Parliament elected Justina Shiroka Pula as Kosovo's president, securing 81 votes—one more than the required parliamentary majority.
- Her selection followed a deal between Prime Minister Albin Kurti's Vetevendosje and the Democratic Party to restrict the powers of a Hague-based war crimes court.
- Police fired tear gas and used water cannons on Monday to disperse demonstrators demanding approval of legislative changes concerning the Hague-based court.
- Shiroka Pula, president of the Academy of Sciences and Arts, said after the vote, "This mandate does not belong to just one person. I will be the president of all citizens."
- The presidency is largely ceremonial in the Balkan country, but the election prevented snap parliamentary elections that would have triggered if parties failed to reach consensus.
166 Articles
166 Articles
Kosovo lawmakers elect new president in vote to avert snap election
The late night parliamentary session effectively ends a more than 19-month legislative deadlock in the country. Pula’s election to the largely symbolic post of president makes her the third female to hold that office since Kosovo’s post-war independence from Serbia.
Kosovo has elected a president and thus averted new elections. The price of the agreement was a change of law: criminal offences in the Kosovo war should be punished less severely. That should still cause discussion. By S. Hahne.
73-year-old Justina Shiroka-Pula country's third president; wins 81 votes in 120-seat parliament
After 20 months of political deadlock, the Republic of Kosovo has a president. Justina Shiroka-Pula was elected shortly before the deadline that would have triggered new elections. Now the path to a new beginning is open.
After months of crisis, Kosovo's parliament managed to elect a new head of state.
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