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The Saudi Press Agency reported that King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent congratulatory cables to Justina Shiroka-Pula following her election and oath as president of Kosovo. In the messages, the Saudi leaders expressed their hopes for her success and for the ongoing advancement and prosperity of the Kosovo people. The cables were dispatched on October 8, 2026, one day after the parliamentary vote and swearing-in ceremony in Pristina.
Justina Shiroka-Pula secured 81 votes in Kosovo’s 120-member parliament on the evening of October 7, 2026, surpassing the required threshold in the initial round. She took her oath before the Assembly shortly after midnight, a step that ensured compliance with a Constitutional Court deadline and prevented the legislature from dissolving into snap elections. Kosovo officials confirmed the results and the swift transition to office.
An economist by training, Shiroka-Pula served as minister of energy and mining from 2008 to 2011 before later becoming the first female president of the Kosova Academy of Sciences and Arts in December 2025. At 72, she is now the oldest individual to hold the presidency and only the third woman to do so after Atifete Jahjaga and Vjosa Osmani. Her academic and professional record spans university teaching and authorship in the fields of economics and public policy.
Following the oath, Shiroka-Pula told parliamentarians that the mandate belongs to all citizens and that she would prioritize unity along with the country’s Euro-Atlantic path. “I will be the president of all citizens… I will work for unity, justice, development and strengthening of our institutions,” she said. She further pledged in the official oath to devote her strength to preserving Kosovo’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and the rights of all citizens while upholding the constitution.
The election ended a prolonged institutional impasse that began when President Vjosa Osmani’s term concluded in April 2026 without a successor in place. Prime Minister Albin Kurti backed Shiroka-Pula as the candidate who could command the necessary majority across political lines. International observers have noted the development as a positive step toward renewed stability in Kosovo’s governance.
Additional messages of support arrived from Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and representatives of the European Union and the United Kingdom. Rama described the election as occurring at a challenging moment for the region and Europe, wishing prosperity to the new president and her country. The EU’s representative in Kosovo expressed readiness to collaborate on advancing the nation’s European integration goals.
