Vjosa Osmani | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2023 | |
President of Kosovo | |
Assumed office 4 April 2021 | |
Prime Minister | Albin Kurti |
Preceded by | Glauk Konjufca (acting) |
Acting 5 November 2020 –22 March 2021 | |
Prime Minister | Avdullah Hoti |
Preceded by | Hashim Thaçi |
Succeeded by | Glauk Konjufca (acting) |
6th Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo | |
In office 3 February 2020 –22 March 2021 | |
President | Hashim Thaçi |
Preceded by | Glauk Konjufca |
Succeeded by | Glauk Konjufca |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] Mitrovica,SFR Yugoslavia (present-day Kosovo) | 17 May 1982
Nationality | Kosovar Albanian |
Political party | Independent (2021–present) |
Other political affiliations |
|
Spouse | Prindon Sadriu (m. 2012) |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Pristina University of Pittsburgh (LLM, SJD) [4] |
Profession | Politician and legal academic |
Signature | ![]() |
Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu (born 17 May 1982) is a Kosovar Albanian jurist and politician who is the current president of Kosovo since 2021. [5] [6]
Osmani was born and raised in Titova Mitrovica, SFR Yugoslavia (present-day Kosovo) and studied law at the University of Pristina and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She worked as an advisor to the president of Kosovo Fatmir Sejdiu before she was elected to the Assembly. Osmani held the position of Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo from February 2020 to March 2021, and also served as acting president between November 2020 and March 2021 after the resignation of President Hashim Thaçi. Upon her election as president, Osmani became the second woman to hold the position, as well as the first person to have served as both acting president and president of Kosovo.
Osmani successfully ran on an anti-corruption platform and has expressed a desire to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Since taking office, Osmani has returned the flag of Dardania as the official symbol of the presidency.
Vjosa Osmani was born on 17 May 1982 in Titova Mitrovica, Kosovo, then a part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia, Yugoslavia to ethnic Albanian parents. [1] [7] She grew up with four siblings, and completed her primary and secondary education in her hometown. [7] [1] Osmani was a teenager during the Kosovo War, and she once stated that she "can still feel" the barrel of an M70 rifle that a soldier forced into her mouth after her home in Mitrovica had been raided. [7]
Osmani earned her bachelor's degree in law from the University of Prishtina. [8] [9] She continued with graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law), earning a master's degree in law (LLM) in 2005 and a doctorate in juridical science (SJD) in 2015. [10] [4] [11] Her doctoral dissertation addressed the applicability of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) in Kosovo as Kosovo's legal status has evolved since 1988, when the CISG first entered into force. [11]
Osmani has been a teaching assistant at the University of Pristina, [9] [12] a lecturer at RIT Kosovo, [9] [1] and a visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh. [9] [10]
Osmani's political career began in her teens, as an activist for the centre-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK). [1] On 27 August 2009, she was elected chief of staff for then president Fatmir Sejdiu. [1] Osmani had also served as legal counsel and foreign policy advisor to the president. [10] She was a member of the Assembly of Kosovo for three terms, and once received the largest number of votes for a female politician in Kosovan parliamentary history. [10] [1]
Osmani contributed to the independence of Kosovo, as the president's representative for the Constitution Commission, the body that prepared the Kosovan constitution. She represented Kosovo in a case at the International Court of Justice, where she defended the legality of Kosovo's independence. [13]
As part of her parliamentary duties, Osmani served as the chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Diaspora and Strategic Investments and the Committee on European Integration. She also served as the vice-chair of the Committee on Constitutional Reforms in Kosovo. [10]
In 2014, Osmani clashed with LDK leadership, including party leader Isa Mustafa, when she criticized the LDK for forming a coalition government with its long-time rival party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), breaking a previously made pledge. [14] [15] Osmani also boycotted the presidential election in 2016, in which PDK leader Hashim Thaçi was elected president as part of the coalition agreement. [14] [16]
Osmani was viewed as a possible prime minister of Kosovo by the LDK in the 2019 snap parliamentary election. [13] [17] While campaigning for the election, she said the Kosovan people were ready for a female prime minister, and that she could fight corruption and make free market reforms for Kosovo. [18] [19] She lost the election to Albin Kurti, leader of the left-wing anti-establishment party Vetëvendosje, and had received 176,016 votes. [20]
On 20 June 2020, Osmani was removed from her position as her party's deputy leader, after LDK leader Mustafa called for her dismissal due to her public opposition of decisions made by the party. [15] [21] Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti replaced her as LDK deputy leader. [15] Osmani later quit the LDK altogether on 7 September 2020, stating that the party had left her no choice, but adding that she would return if the party were reformed. [22] [23]
In 2020, Osmani was appointed acting president of Kosovo after President Thaçi resigned following an indictment by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office in The Hague. [24]
In preparation for the 2021 Kosovan parliamentary election, Osmani announced the founding of her own political party, Guxo, on 2 January 2021. [25] She also aligned with Kurti's Vetëvendosje party. Running on an anti-corruption platform, both parties scored landslide victories, and Osmani personally received more than 300,000 votes. [24] The election also gave women a third of the 120-seat parliament and an unprecedented six positions out of fifteen in the cabinet. [24]
In contrast, the LDK, Osmani's former party, did very poorly in the elections, as predicted by LDK members who had publicly criticized the earlier ouster of Osmani in 2020. [26] [15] [27] The LDK lost roughly half of its seats in parliament, and party leader Mustafa resigned on 14 March. [28] [29] [30] [31]
On 4 April 2021, the assembly elected Osmani as Kosovo's president during its third round of voting. [32] [8] Although the vote was unattended by two opposition parties as well as a party representing the ethnic Serb minority in Kosovo, 82 members of the 120-seat parliament cast their votes during the second day of the extraordinary session. [33] [24] [lower-alpha 1] She won 71 of the votes, while 11 votes were declared invalid, and was subsequently sworn in for a five-year term later that day, becoming Kosovo's second female president. [33] [8] Osmani said that she hoped to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia, while also calling for Belgrade to apologize for the war that led to Kosovo's declaration of independence and to prosecute those who had committed war crimes. [32] [33]
Before taking the oath of office, Osmani resigned from the leadership of Guxo. [36] [37] [lower-alpha 2] Newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Donika Gërvalla replaced her as Guxo's head. [39]
The number of visits per country where President Osmani traveled as per 4 August 2024 are:
No. | Country | Date | Cities visited | Type of visit | Rf. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 17 December 2020 | Tirana | Official visit [lower-alpha 3] | [40] |
2 | ![]() | 12–13 January 2021 | Brussels | Official visit [lower-alpha 3] | [41] [42] |
3 | ![]() | 2–5 March 2021 | Bern | Official visit [lower-alpha 3] | [43] |
4 | ![]() | 17 May 2021 | Kranj | Brdo-Brijuni Process | [44] |
5 | ![]() | 10–11 June 2021 | Tallinn | Official visit | [45] [46] |
6 | ![]() | 17–18 June 2021 | Antalya | SEECP Summit | [47] |
7 | ![]() | 22 June 2021 | Vienna | Official visit | [48] |
8 | ![]() | 23 July 2021 | Tokyo | 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony | [49] |
9 | ![]() | 1 September 2021 | Interlaken | Swiss Economic Forum | [50] |
10 | ![]() | 14 September 2021 | Berlin | Official visit | [51] |
11 | ![]() | 19–25 September 2021 | New York City | Working visit | [52] |
12 | 15–16 October 2021 | United Nations Security Council Meeting | [53] | ||
13 | ![]() | 28–29 October 2021 | Lisbon | Official visit | [54] |
14 | ![]() | 19–24 November 2021 | Ottawa and Halifax | [55] | |
15 | ![]() | 18 February 2022 | Munich | Munich Security Conference | [56] |
16 | ![]() | 26 February–1 March 2022 | Ankara and Istanbul | Official visit | [57] |
17 | ![]() | 2–3 March 2022 | Valletta | [58] | |
18 | ![]() | 11–13 March 2022 | Antalya | Antalya Diplomacy Forum | [59] |
19 | ![]() | 25–29 March 2022 | Doha | Official visit | [60] |
20 | ![]() | 26–30 April 2022 | Washington, D.C. | Funeral ceremony of Madeleine Albright | [61] |
21 | ![]() | 4–6 May 2022 | Panama City | Official visit | [62] |
22 | ![]() | 7–9 May 2022 | San José | Inauguration of President Rodrigo Chaves Robles | [62] |
23 | ![]() | 10–11 May 2022 | Washington, D.C. | Munich Leaders Meetings | [63] |
24 | ![]() | 12–13 May 2022 | Vilnius | Official visit | [64] |
25 | ![]() | 10–11 June 2022 | Athens | SEECP Summit | [65] |
26 | ![]() | 16–17 June 2022 | Skopje and Lake Prespa | Official visit and Prespa Forum Dialogue | [66] |
27 | ![]() | 23 June 2022 | Brussels | EU-Western Balkans Summit | |
28 | ![]() | 24–26 June 2022 | Bangkok | Official visit | [67] |
29 | ![]() | 27–28 June 2022 | Singapore | Official visit | [68] |
30 | ![]() | 4–5 July 2022 | Ljubljana | Official visit | [69] |
31 | ![]() | 24 July 2022 | Tirana | Inauguration of President Bajram Begaj | [70] |
32 | ![]() | 25–27 July 2022 | Washington, D.C. | Working visit | [71] |
33 | ![]() | 30 August – 2 September 2022 | Prague | Official visit | [72] |
34 | ![]() | 12 September 2022 | Kranj | Brdo-Brijuni Process | [73] |
35 | ![]() | 15 September 2022 | Potsdam | Working visit | [74] |
36 | ![]() | 19 September 2022 | London | State funeral of Elizabeth II | [75] |
37 | ![]() | 20–27 September 2022 | New York City | Official visit | [76] |
38 | ![]() | 6–7 October 2022 | Prague | 1st European Political Community Summit | [77] |
39 | ![]() | 10 November 2022 | Paris | Paris Peace Forum | [78] |
40 | ![]() | 16 November 2022 | Vienna | Official visit | [79] |
41 | ![]() | 19–20 November 2022 | Djerba | OIF Summit | [80] |
42 | ![]() | 30 November–1 December 2022 | Sofia | Official visit | [81] |
43 | ![]() | 6 December 2022 | Tirana | EU-Western Balkans Summit | [82] |
44 | ![]() | 23 January 2023 | Vatican City | Official visit | [83] |
45 | ![]() | Rome | |||
46 | ![]() | 2–3 February 2023 | Reykjavík | Working visit | [84] |
47 | ![]() | 7 February 2023 | Podgorica | Official visit | [85] |
48 | ![]() | 18 February 2023 | Munich | Munich Security Conference | [86] |
49 | ![]() | 11 April 2023 | Frascineto, Catanzaro and Cosenza | Working visit | [87] |
50 | ![]() | 26 April 2023 | Skopje | Official visit | [88] |
51 | ![]() | 5–6 May 2023 | London | Coronation of King Charles III | [89] |
52 | ![]() | 20 May 2023 | Podgorica | Inauguration of President Jakov Milatović | [90] |
53 | ![]() | 1 June 2023 | Chișinău | 2nd European Political Community Summit | [91] |
54 | ![]() | 3 June 2023 | Ankara | Inauguration of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | [92] |
55 | ![]() | 14 June 2023 | Strasbourg | The plenary session of the European Parliament | [93] |
56 | ![]() | 15 June 2023 | Luxembourg | Official visit | [94] |
57 | ![]() | 16 June 2023 | Berlin | Working visit | [95] |
58 | ![]() | 27 June 2023 | Podgorica | SEECP Summit | [96] |
59 | ![]() | 27 August 2023 | Alpbach | 2023 European Forum Alpbach | [97] |
60 | ![]() | 5–6 September 2023 | Tirana | Official visit | [98] |
61 | ![]() | 11 September 2023 | Skopje | Brdo-Brijuni Process | [99] |
62 | ![]() | 17–23 September 2023 | New York City | Working visit | [100] |
63 | ![]() | 5 October 2023 | Granada | 3rd European Political Community Summit | [101] |
64 | ![]() | 10 October 2023 | Zagreb | Official visit | [102] |
65 | ![]() | 23 October 2023 | New York City and Des Moines | Working visit | [103] |
66 | ![]() | 6 November 2023 | Singapore | Working visit | [104] |
67 | ![]() | 9 November 2023 | Helsinki | Funeral ceremony of Martti Ahtisaari | [105] |
68 | ![]() | 15 November 2023 | Lisbon | Working visit | [106] |
69 | ![]() | 2–4 December 2023 | Dubai | Working visit | [107] |
70 | ![]() | 8 December 2023 | Istanbul | Working visit | [108] |
71 | ![]() | 10–11 December 2023 | Doha | Doha Forum | [109] |
72 | ![]() | 13 December 2023 | Brussels | EU–Western Balkan Summit | [110] |
73 | ![]() | 25–27 February 2024 | Doha | Working visit | [111] |
74 | ![]() | 28 February 2024 | Tirana | Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit | [112] |
75 | ![]() | 1 March 2024 | Antalya | Antalya Diplomacy Forum | [113] |
76 | ![]() | 6–9 May 2024 | Dallas | 2024 US-Africa Business Summit | [114] |
77 | ![]() | 14–15 May 2024 | Copenhagen | Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2024 | [115] |
78 | ![]() | 18 May 2024 | Sofia | Clinton Global Initiative | [116] |
79 | ![]() | 31 May–1 June 2024 | San Salvador | Inauguration of President Nayib Bukele | [117] |
80 | ![]() | 13 June 2024 | Skopje | SEECP Summit 2024 | [118] |
81 | ![]() | 15–16 June 2024 | Lucerne | June 2024 Ukraine peace summit | [119] |
82 | ![]() | 28 June 2024 | Bellagio | Global Women Leaders Summit | [120] |
83 | ![]() | 9–11 July 2024 | Washington, D.C. | NATO Women, Peace and Security (WPS) | [121] |
84 | ![]() | 18 July 2024 | Woodstock | 4th European Political Community Summit | [122] |
85 | ![]() | 26 July - 1 August 2024 | Paris | 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony | [123] |
86 | ![]() | 4 August 2024 | Sinj | Working visit | [124] |
During Osmani's master's studies at the University of Pittsburgh, the university presented her with the Excellence for the Future Award twice. [1] In 2017, the University of Pittsburgh Center for International Studies awarded her the Sheth International Young Alumni Achievement Award for her contribution to democracy and human rights. [10] [13]
On 28 February 2022, Osmani was awarded a Honoris Causa from Ankara University. [125]
In 2012, Osmani married Prindon Sadriu, an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. [3] They have twin daughters. [24] Osmani speaks Albanian, English, Serbian, Spanish, and Turkish. [1]
Albin Kurti is a Kosovar Albanian politician who has been serving as Prime Minister of Kosovo since 2021, having previously held the office from February to June 2020.
Klubi Futbollistik Trepça '89, commonly known as Trepça '89, is a professional football club based in Mitrovica, Kosovo. The club plays in the First Football League of Kosovo, which is the second tier of football in the country.
Atifete Jahjaga is a Kosovar Albanian politician who served as the third President of Kosovo. She was the first female President of the Republic of Kosovo, the first non-partisan candidate and the youngest female head of state to be elected to the top office. She served as Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police, holding the rank of General Lieutenant Colonel, the most senior among women officers in Southeastern Europe.
The parliament of Kosovo held indirect elections for president of Kosovo on 3 and 4 April 2021. The elections successfully concluded after three rounds, with Vjosa Osmani winning 71 votes out of a total possible 120. Three political parties boycotted the vote. Nasuf Bejta, also a member of Guxo, the political party Osmani founded, was the only other candidate who received a vote during any of the other rounds.
Betim Halimi is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Kosovo Superleague club Gjilani.
Bajram Begaj is an Albanian politician and retired military officer, who is currently serving as the president of Albania since 24 July 2022. Having had a long career in the Albanian army, he served as the 26th Chief of General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces from July 2020 to June 2022.
Xhafer Tahiri is a politician in Kosovo. He served in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo from 2013 to 2014 and was the mayor of Vushtrri from 2017 to 2021. Tahiri is a member of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).
Kosovar–South Sudanese relations are foreign relations between South Sudan and Kosovo.
Bekë Berisha is a politician in Kosovo. He has served in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo since 2017 as a member of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK).
Ardian Gjini is a politician in Kosovo. He was a cabinet minister in Kosovo's government from 2005 to 2008, served in the Assembly of Kosovo from 2007 to 2014, and has been the mayor of Gjakova since 2017. Gjini has been a prominent member of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) since the party's formation in 2001.
Idriz Vehapi is an academic and politician in Kosovo. He was a minister in the Kosovo government from 2008 to 2010, served in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo from 2011 to 2013, and was mayor of Rahovec from 2013 to 2017. Vehapi is a member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).
Ali Berisha is a medical doctor and politician in Kosovo. He was the mayor of Peja from 2007 to 2013 and served two terms in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo between 2016 and 2021. Berisha is a member of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK).
Donika Kadaj Bujupi is a politician in Kosovo. She served in the Assembly of Kosovo from 2007 to 2021 and in April 2023 was appointed as an advisor to Republic of Kosovo president Vjosa Osmani. Kadaj Bujupi was a member of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) for most of her time as an elected official, although from 2016 to 2018 she was a member of Vetëvendosje (VV).
Fadil Gashi is a politician in Kosovo from the Roma community. He has served in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo since 2021 as a member of the Romani Initiative (RI).