PRISTINA (Reuters) – Kosovo\u2019s parliament has appointed a 38-year-old U.S.-educated female law professor and candidate of the ruling Vetevendosje party as the country\u2019s new president, following an election in February.<\/p>\n
Vjosa Osmani took over as acting president of Kosovo last November when her predecessor, Hashim Thaci, resigned ahead of his impending war crimes trial in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
Osmani\u2019s initial mandate expired when the new government of Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the head of Vetevendosje, took over following the Feb. 14 election.<\/p>\n
On Sunday the 120-seat parliament voted in favour of appointing Osmani president by 71 votes.<\/p>\n
Opposition parties and civil society watchdogs have criticised her appointment, saying that having a president, prime minister and speaker of parliament all from the same party is not welcome in a country with a fragile democracy.<\/p>\n
Osmani represents a type of young Kosovar more familiar with life in the West and frustrated with the nepotism and ineffectiveness of the country\u2019s traditional parties.<\/p>\n
In a speech, Osmani called for a dialogue aimed at normalising ties with Serbia, but said Belgrade must first apologise and prosecute those responsible for war crimes committed during the 1998-99 war that ultimately led to Kosovo becoming independent in 2008.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeace would be achieved only when we see remorse and an apology from Serbia and when we see justice for those who have suffered from their crimes,\u201d Osmani said.<\/p>\n
Until last September Osmani was a high ranking official of the Democratic League of Kosovo party, which she quit to join forces with Kurti. She is not a member of the anti-establishment Vetevendosje, but she ran on their list in the February elections.<\/p>\n
She is married and has two daughters.<\/p>\n
Former President Thaci, a wartime hero who turned politician, is currently in the Hague awaiting trial before the Netherlands-based Kosovo\u2019s war crimes court. He has denied the charges against him.<\/p>\n
Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Writing by Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Hugh Lawson
\nhttps:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-kosovo-president-idUSKBN2BR0N2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PRISTINA (Reuters) – Kosovo\u2019s parliament has appointed a 38-year-old U.S.-educated female law professor and candidate of the ruling Vetevendosje party as the country\u2019s new president, following an election in February.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[103],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews"],"yoast_head":"\n