Europe07 October, 20262 min read
Kosovo Lawmakers Elect Justina Shiroka Pula After Deal Limits Hague War Crimes Court Powers
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Justina Shiroka Pula elected Kosovo president in late-night vote, ending parliamentary deadlock. Lawmakers approved changes limiting powers of the Hague-based war crimes court ahead of deadline.
8 outlets told this the same way.
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Kosovo avoids snap poll
Kosovo lawmakers elected Justina Shiroka Pula as president early on October 7 after a last-minute deal that secured legal changes restricting the powers of a Hague-based war crimes court.
The secret ballot began just six minutes before a midnight deadline, and Shiroka Pula secured 81 votes to clinch the post in the first round, needing at least 80 in the 120-seat legislature.
Shiroka Pula told parliament, "This mandate does not belong to one person alone. It belongs to our citizens, our institutions, and the state for which so many generations sacrificed," after being sworn in.
The election averted parliament’s automatic dissolution and another early election, while the same account noted the process did not end until 12 minutes after midnight, creating potential for a legal challenge.
The 81 votes she secured – one more than the two-thirds, 80-vote threshold required, and the ruling Vetevendosje Movement and opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo reached an agreement on her candidacy.
War crimes court curbs
Parliament approved amendments to the law governing the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in a second and final reading with 88 votes in favor, narrowing the court’s jurisdiction and capping prison sentences at 15 years. The amendments require sentences to be served in Kosovo and make people convicted by final judgments eligible for presidential pardons. Lawmakers also agreed to adopt amendments changing the legal framework governing the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a Hague-based court established to try former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders for alleged war crimes.
The amendment was tightly negotiated ahead of a looming deadline to elect the country’s president at midnight, and the changes would prevent the KSC from prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the war. The law change would not affect the current sentences for the four former KLA leaders, including Hashim Thaci, who have said they will appeal through the established process at the KSC.
Protests, deadlines, and fallout
Protests demanding passage of the court legislation accompanied the push to elect a president, and on October 5 some demonstrators threw glass bottles and pyrotechnics while police used tear gas and water cannons near parliament. Police said six officers were injured, 11 civilians sought medical attention and three protesters were taken to a police station, and the Kosovo’s Police Inspectorate opened a preliminary investigation into police conduct during the protest. Kosovo had already been in a prolonged political limbo after the Specialist Chambers verdict and 20 days of protests, including violent incidents in Pristina on the night before the presidential vote.
Donika Emini said, "going into yet another election would have carried a high political cost for everyone," and the election was described as a politically necessary compromise to restore institutional functioning. Kosovo’s president serves a five-year term, beginning upon taking the oath before parliament, and legal experts had warned Kosovo must respect its international commitments as the amendments could face constitutional review.