A young female president for Kosovo

Kosovo finally got a new president who has the support of the majority of the deputies of the parliament. Her name is Atifete Jahjaga. She is 36 years old, made a strong career in the Kosovo police force for the past 11 years and never thought to undertake a political commitment up to the point when she was  put forward as a candidate in the framework of the discussions that took place among three political parties, PDK, LDK and AKR.

Many questions rise on how and why this decision was met, whether the young female and politically inexperienced president will be able to meet people’s expectations in this troubled period of Kosovo’s politics. Many doubts can be crossed while reading the comments of readers on the web portals of Kosovar newspapers but at the same time also many appraisals. The dissatisfaction of the people who voted Vetëvendosja seems to meet the satisfaction of the rest of the population who was looking for a compromise among the political forces.

The political crisis that Kosovo has experienced in the past months which started (long) before the parliamentary elections of the end of 2010 and escalated up to the unconstitutional election of the president on February 23, 2011, seems to have now reached a turnaround. In the months to come the political parties will work on constitutional and electoral reforms and will prepare the path for new parliamentary and presidential elections. The young leaders of Vetëvendosja, a party which since shortly merged with the other new political entry of last year, FER, will have the opportunity to show their commitment and gain more support while following the path of defending the interests of Kosovo’s people and economy also in the parliament. In the meantime  the people, especially young people of Kosovo, have the opportunity to become more active, require transparency and accountability from the politicians who hold the power and to decide to become more involved in the new political run that unofficially started today.

In the end it is the active involvement of people, especially of young people in the political process, which could enable change in Kosovo. They still have to understand that the right to vote especially in a crucial moment of the history of a country is in reality a responsibility and should be considered as such by all people who are eligible to vote. Democracy and constitutionalism in a free independent Kosovo and even the independence of Kosovo is not a given. People have to fight for them each day. As observer of the developments in Kosovo, I can only  hope that young people will understand their role and will undertake their commitment accordingly .

In the meantime  Kosovo will be run by the first female young president who has put Kosovo’s integration in the European Union as a priority for her presidency. As a professional Atifete Jahjaga brings with her long experience in defending the public order and respecting the institutions, as a young woman she has the chance to bring a fresh perspective into the political instability of the past years. Perhaps not deliberately, but by her being a successful president, Atifete Jahjaga can also seize the tremendous opportunity to inspire more young and talented female professionals to enter a political career which might finally cause a highly needed mentality change in Kosovo’s politics and society. 

 
Lindita Komani, is a Policy Officer for ThinkYoung specialising in the Western Balkans