A New President in Pristina and a Note From Skopje: What Changes and What Does Not
Justina Shiroka-Pula was elected president of Kosovo with 81 votes, just one above the threshold, in a deal that avoided new parliamentary elections, and Siljanovska-Davkova congratulated her as a "fellow professor."
Kosovo's Assembly elected Justina Shiroka-Pula president in the first round, with 81 votes, just one above the required threshold. Her name emerged in the final hours before the deadline, after earlier candidates failed to win agreement; had the vote failed, the Assembly would have been dissolved and new elections would have followed. Albin Kurti and his party nominated her, which made the election a product of a deal rather than an easy victory.
Shiroka-Pula is an economist and professor, born in Pristina in 1953, a former minister of energy and mining in Hashim Thaci's government (2008–2011) and a PDK lawmaker from 2011 to 2014. Since December 2025 she has been the first woman to head the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo. She is the third woman in the post, after Atifete Jahjaga and Vjosa Osmani, and has pledged to be a president of all citizens.
Macedonia's president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, congratulated her and wrote: "As a fellow professor, I look forward to working closely with her," stressing readiness to strengthen bilateral relations and regional stability. In practice a congratulation does not change policy: the president's role in Kosovo is largely representative, and the two countries still have open issues, from the European path to regional security.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 8, 2026
