Five minutes before midnight – the deal that avoided elections and brought the third woman to the head of Kosovo

Kosovo passed one of the most important challenges of the political crisis of recent years. The country was close to an unclear situation, with internal tensions, uncertainty about the political future and, above all, with polarising and dangerous language, if the country were to go to new elections.

The political consequences

The last-minute agreement between Albin Kurti and the Vetëvendosje Movement, on one side, and Bedri Hamza and the Democratic Party of Kosovo, on the other, to vote first on the Law on the Specialist Chambers and then on the election of the President, was among the most important decisions of recent years.

Going to elections without approving the Law on the Specialist Chambers, with protests and tensions in front of the Assembly and the Government, and with uncertainty over who would serve as president of Kosovo, could have kept the country in even greater tension, with political and economic consequences and for Kosovo’s international image. Above all, such a situation would also have brought great disappointment to citizens, creating the impression that the political class is irresponsible and incapable of compromise.

Another important element was the way everything happened in haste, in the last five minutes before midnight. This recalls the way the laws of the Ahtisaari Package were rapidly approved at the beginning of 2008, before the declaration of independence.

The economic consequences

If the country were to go to elections again, important funds from the Growth Plan would also be at risk. A full 131.4 million euros, linked to 22 steps of this plan, have a final deadline of 31 December this year. Without a functional Assembly and without a Government with full capacity, Kosovo risked losing about 90 million euros.

For this reason, failing to elect the president could have endangered the implementation of a large part of the reforms linked to the Growth Plan.

The country would also face a lack of major projects, risks to the budget and delays in large projects that could not be implemented. Likewise, in a period of tensions, unrest and political uncertainty, it would be hard to expect any major investment.

On the other hand, it was also important that the political parties, in this case the LVV and the PDK, reached an agreement without any international advice or intervention. This shows that Kosovo can, but it must be clearer and more responsible in its political decision-making.

Kosovo’s new president

Justina Pula Shiroka, above all, comes from Kosovo’s academic field and is the third woman at the head of the state, after Atifete Jahjaga and Vjosa Osmani.

Kosovo’s other presidents, before and after independence, have been the historic president Ibrahim Rugova, then Fatmir Sejdiu, for a short period Behgjet Pacolli, then Atifete Jahjaga, Hashim Thaçi and finally Vjosa Osmani.

Now, Pula Shiroka, who also comes from the academic field, is expected to preserve the institutional balance, which has been much discussed in Kosovo recently, and to deal with important topics, including the protection of the KLA in the appeal phase at the Specialist Chambers.

Otherwise, Shiroka-Pula is an economist, while most recently she was chair of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo (ASHAK).

She was born in 1953 in Pristina. She completed primary and secondary school in Pristina, while in 1976 she graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Pristina.

The long-time professor of Management has been a member of ASHAK since 2016.

Academic Shiroka-Pula has been part of the academic staff of the Faculty of Economics since 1979. At this faculty she completed her undergraduate and doctoral studies, while she did her postgraduate studies at the University of Zagreb.

During her academic career, she has published dozens of scientific papers, books and presentations in the field of economics and management, according to public documents from the Faculty of Economics.

The Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, as the country’s highest institution of knowledge, for the first time in its history had a woman at its head. Academic Justina Shiroka-Pula succeeded academic Mehmet Kraja in this position.

In addition to her academic career, she has also been engaged in public institutions. During 2008–2011 she served as minister of Energy and Mining in the Government of Kosovo.

In 2011–2014 she was a deputy of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo from the ranks of the PDK, as Telegrafi reports.