Justina Široka-Pula was elected president of Kosovo after a secret ballot in parliament, held shortly before midnight local time. She received 81 votes out of the required 80, thus avoiding the automatic dissolution of parliament and the scheduling of new parliamentary elections.
The vote ended the political procedure at the last possible moment. If the election failed, parliament would have been dissolved and the country would have headed for a new parliamentary vote. This would have been the fourth parliamentary vote in Kosovo in the last two years.
Majority after agreement between the ruling and opposition
Albin Kurti's government managed to secure a two-thirds majority for Široka-Pula's candidacy. The opposition's support came after Kurti approved a bill to reduce the powers of the Special Court for Kosovo, which is based in The Hague.
Last month, the court convicted four leaders of the former Kosovo Liberation Army. Among them is former President and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. The parliament's decision to legislatively change the court's powers was part of the political deal that led to the election of a new head of state.
Economist and President of the Kosovo Academy
Shiroka-Pula is an economist. She was the Minister of Energy and Mining and is currently the President of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts.
After taking the oath, the newly elected president said that she would fulfill her duties in the interest of all citizens. "I will be the president of all citizens," Shiroka-Pula said after her election.
Her election guaranteed the continuation of the work of Kosovo's institutions and prevented a new pre-election procedure. The vote was held at the end of the deadline, after the ruling and opposition parties achieved the necessary parliamentary majority.
Sources: bnrnews.bg, kosovapress.com, aa.com.tr