Kosovo averted a snap election as political parties reached a last-minute agreement to limit the powers of a war crimes court and choose Justina Shiroka-Pula as president.
The deal reached by Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the biggest opposition party resolved a dispute that had threatened to send Kosovo to a fourth national ballot in less than two years. Shiroka-Pula, 73, emerged as a compromise candidate only hours before the constitutional deadline expired.
The third woman to become president of Kosovo and the first Roman Catholic to be elected to the post in a predominately Muslim nation, Shiroka-Pula is an economist who has spent much of her career in academia. She also served as a minister for former President Hashim Thaci, which helped to win the opposition’s approval.
“I will work for unity, justice, development and stronger institutions,” Shiroka-Pula told lawmakers. “Kosovo must move forward as a democratic and secure state, with a clear Euro-Atlantic orientation and strong ties with our allies.”
Lawmakers also limited the maximum prison sentences the Hague-based Specialist Chambers can hand down to 15 years, while also allowing prison time to be served in Kosovo and making those convicted eligible for presidential pardons.
The push to clip the court’s powers follows the Sept. 16 verdict against Thaci and three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, who were sentenced to between 13 and 25 years for war crimes.
All plan to appeal the verdicts, which sparked weeks of protests and revived opposition to the court, created in 2015 to prosecute crimes linked to the KLA during and after Kosovo’s 1998-99 war with Serbia.
The verdicts prompted anger across the country, where citizens see it as a challenge of the main narratives on which Kosovo’s statehood was built.
Read more: Tensions Flare as Kosovo Edges Toward Its Fourth Snap Vote