Justina Shiroka Pula: Kosovo’s new president, elected during a crisis

Kosovo’s election of a new president has brought an end to heightened tensions in parliament and possibly on the streets. On Tuesday, protests against the convictions of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders coincided with a midnight deadline to elect a president. Ultimately, the ruling Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) and opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) reached an agreement on her candidacy, clearing the way for a parliamentary vote. Lawmakers elected Justina Shiroka Pula to the country’s top office in the first minutes of Wednesday, close to the constitutional deadline, averting new early parliamentary elections that could have pushed the country into a deeper crisis.