Atifete Jahjaga

Atifete Jahjaga (born 20 April 1975) 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.

Jahjaga, a Kosovo Albanian, was born in Gjakova, then a part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Her paternal descent is from Berisha in northern Albania.

She attended elementary and secondary school in Gjakova and graduated from the University of Pristina at the Faculty of Law in 2000.

Only Kosovo's 1st President Ibrahim Rugova has received more votes, being appointed by the Parliament by an 88-3 vote in 2002, in the third round of voting.

In her inaugural address, Jahjaga stated that her main goal as the President is to put Kosovo on a safe path toward membership into the European Union and the United Nations.

"The ideal of all Kosovo is membership in the EU and a permanent friendship with the United States. I believe and I am convinced our dreams will come true," she said in her first speech to the Parliament.

In 2006/07, she completed a graduate and certificate program in police management and criminal law at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.

She also received extensive professional training at the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies in Germany and the FBI National Academy in the United States, and a postgraduate Certification in Crime Science at the University of Virginia in the U.S.A., in 2007.

After the Kosovo War, Jahjaga completed Kosovo's Police Academy to become an officer and was gradually promoted to higher ranks, initially a major, then colonel, and finally major general, giving her contribution to building Kosovo's most trusted law enforcement institution.

Jahjaga held the position of the Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police, and briefly filled in as acting General Director in 2010.

While serving in the Kosovo Police, she drew the attention of American officers and diplomats who presented her before senior U.S. officials on special occasions as a representative of a new generation of Kosovar civil servants.

Her pictures with U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to the FBI National Academy and with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to Kosovo were among the few distributed through the Internet before she was placed on the national spotlight as a presidential candidate.

Following a political crisis that engulfed Kosovo with the resignation of President Fatmir Sejdiu and after the Constitutional Court's decision which ruled against the election of Behgjet Pacolli as President of Kosovo, on 6 April 2011, due to her background in public service and highly demonstrated integrity, Atifete was announced as the consensus candidate for the office of President of Kosovo, under support from the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Democratic League of Kosovo and New Kosovo Alliance, and supported by the US Ambassador in Kosovo, Christopher Dell.

Although she enjoyed a positive reputation as a police commander, she came out of relative obscurity as a candidate for the highest office of the state, with most of the public and political leaders unaware of her political leanings.

On 7 April, Jahjaga was elected President on the first round of voting by the Parliament; of 100 MPs present, 80 voted for Jahjaga and 10 cast a ballot for Suzan Novoberdali.

To date, she is the only president to be elected on the first round of voting.

Since taking office in April 2011, President Jahjaga has sought to strengthen the democratic institutions of the country and has helped to build and to secure greater international recognition for Kosovo.

Jahjaga has contributed to changing Kosovo’s image abroad, promoting European and Euro-Atlantic agenda, reconciliation and tolerance, normalization of relations with neighboring countries, and attracting foreign investment.

She has redefined the role of the President in building pluralistic and democratic life of Kosovo, and continuously implemented the constitutional principles that form the basis of democracy.

Through her participation in various international forums and numerous bilateral visits, Jahjaga has created new bridges of cooperation and gave her country a voice internationally by sharing Kosovo's state-building experience and making it a vital contributor in global debates.

President Jahjaga's vision and her moderate leadership in Kosovo and the Western Balkans has secured her unprecedented international support.

President Jahjaga actively enforced her constitutional duties and opposed legislation that contradicts European Union practices and standards.

According to the European Commission Progress Report, her enforcement of checks and balances demonstrated that there is separation of powers in Kosovo presently.

In 2012, President Jahjaga sent back to the Parliament of Kosovo the Criminal Code for reconsideration, demanding the removal of provisions pertaining to freedom of expression, namely the criminalization of defamation and articles that would compel journalists to reveal their sources.

Jahjaga deemed the measures in contradiction to freedom of expression, Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and the European Convention on Human Rights.

During the local elections of 2013 and early general elections of 2014, she successfully coordinated and mobilized mechanisms of justice and the Central Election Commission for a fair, democratic and transparent electoral process, following Kosovo's rigged general elections in 2010 that drew much concern about the legitimacy of Kosovo's institutions and criticism from international organizations.

Due to the efforts led by Jahjaga to ensure a democratic process, according to international monitors, the elections of 2013 and 2014 were fair and inclusive, drawing to the ballot boxes for the first time the citizens of Serb municipalities in the north of the country.

Following the June elections of 2014, Kosovo was paralyzed by a political and constitutional deadlock which prevented the formation of institutions and undermined the country's democratic functioning.

In an effort to find a solution to the political impasse, President Jahjaga began intensive meetings with leaders of parliamentary political parties in finding the formula for the establishment of the new Parliament and formation of the Government.

Jahjaga played a crucial role in resolving the crisis, ensuring democratic functioning of institutions through a credible, transparent and inclusive process, in full respect of the constitutional court decisions and legal procedures.

U.S. President Barack Obama, on the occasion of Kosovo's Independence Day, congratulated Jahjaga for her "leadership and resolve in working with party leaders during the extended government-formation process."

Immediately after the formation of the government, in coordination with the Speaker of the Parliament, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, Jahjaga reached institutional consensus on the establishment of the Special Court as an international obligation stemming from the exchange of letters between President Jahjaga and EU High Representative Baroness Ashton.

The exchange of letters was approved with broad support of 87 votes in the Assembly of Kosovo.

President Jahjaga during this process held regular meetings with opposition leaders, civil society and media to ensure transparency and to seek wider consensus on a national issue.

Determined to reach a broader consensus on the national agenda, Jahjaga established three National Councils during her mandate to ensure the inclusion of civil society, academia and the business community.

She spent much of her time in office meeting with representatives of civil society, ethnic communities and marginalized groups.

President Jahjaga is very active in promoting the EU integration agenda of her country.