Story perspectives

Kosovo elects Justina Shiroka Pula president minutes before deadline

By Drooid · Oct 7, 2026, 3:15 PM UTC · How we work

Center

EU warns judicial independence

Kosovo's parliament elected economist Justina Shiroka Pula as president on October 7, 2026, minutes before the constitutional deadline.
The vote was tied to amendments capping Specialist Chambers sentences at 15 years, mandating imprisonment in Kosovo and permitting presidential pardons.
Police deployed tear gas and water cannon on October 5, injuring 17 people, six officers.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Kosovo must protect judicial independence amid amendments.

Left

Compromise Calms Protests

Kosovo’s parliament elected economist Justina Shiroka Pula as president on October 7 2026, minutes before the constitutional deadline.
The vote was framed as a pragmatic compromise to calm street protests and avert a deeper institutional crisis.
She won 81 votes with backing from both Vetevendosje and Democratic Party, ending deadlock.
Parliament approved first-reading Specialist Chambers amendments, answering protests calling for sentence caps and local imprisonment.

Blindspot

Police deployed tear gas and water cannon on October 5, injuring at least 17 people, including six officers, while protesters demanded legislation limiting the Specialist Chambers’ jurisdiction.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Left-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

After a 2010 Council of Europe report by Swiss politician Dick Marty documented alleged KLA war crimes, Kosovo amended its constitution and passed Law No.05/L-053 in August 2015, creating the EU-funded Specialist Chambers in The Hague. The court, staffed by international judges and organized into four chambers attached to Kosovo’s regular courts, operates under Kosovo law and international human-rights standards.

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EU warns judicial independence

Kosovo's parliament elected economist Justina Shiroka Pula as president on October 7, 2026, minutes before the constitutional deadline.
The vote was tied to amendments capping Specialist Chambers sentences at 15 years, mandating imprisonment in Kosovo and permitting presidential pardons.
Police deployed tear gas and water cannon on October 5, injuring 17 people, six officers.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Kosovo must protect judicial independence amid amendments.

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