Vjosa Osmani

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Vjosa Osmani
Vjosa Osmani1.jpg
Official portrait, 2021
5th President of Kosovo
Assumed office
4 April 2021
Prime MinisterAlbin Kurti
Preceded byGlauk Konjufca (Acting)
In office
5 November 2020 – 22 March 2021
Acting
Prime MinisterAvdullah Hoti
Preceded byHashim Thaçi
Succeeded byGlauk Konjufca (Acting)
6th Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo
In office
3 February 2020 – 22 March 2021
PresidentHashim Thaçi
Preceded byGlauk Konjufca
Succeeded byGlauk Konjufca
Personal details
Born
Vjosa Osmani

(1982-05-17) 17 May 1982 (age 39)[1]
Titova Mitrovica, SFR Yugoslavia
(now Mitrovica, Kosovo)[a]
Political partyIndependent (2021–present)
Other political
affiliations
Spouse(s)
Prindon Sadriu
​
(m. 2012)​
[3]
Children2
EducationUniversity of Pristina
University of Pittsburgh (LLM, SJD)[4]
ProfessionPolitician and legal academic
Signature

Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu (born 17 May 1982) is a Kosovar jurist and politician serving as the fifth president of Kosovo since 4 April 2021.[5][6]

Born in former Yugoslavia and raised in the city then known as Titova Mitrovica, today the city of Mitrovica, Osmani became a political activist and studied law in Pristina as well as in the United States in Pittsburgh. She worked as an advisor to the then president of Kosovo Fatmir Sejdiu before she was elected to the Assembly. Osmani held the position of Speaker of the Assembly 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 also being the first person to have served as both acting president and president of Kosovo.

Osmani has run successfully on an anti-corruption platform and has expressed a desire to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Early life and education[]

Vjosa Osmani was born on 17 May 1982 in Mitrovica, then a part of SFR Yugoslavia.[1][7] She grew up with four siblings, and completed her primary and secondary education in her hometown.[7][1] The Kosovo War occurred while Osmani was a teenager, and she stated that she "can still feel" the barrel of an AK-47 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 in Kosovo.[8][9] She continued with graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law), earning a master's degree in law in 2005 and a doctorate in juridical science 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]

Career[]

Osmani with U.S. presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden (then-vice president), both in 2009

Academia[]

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]

Politics[]

Meeting with former prime minister Isa Mustafa and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green in 2019

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]

2019 election[]

Main article: 2019 Kosovan parliamentary election

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]

Acting presidency[]

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]

Presidency[]

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][b] 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][c] Newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Donika Gërvalla replaced her as Guxo's head.[39]

Official visits[]

No. Country Date Cities visited Type of visit Rf.
1  Albania 17 December 2020 Tirana Official visit[d] [40]
2  Belgium 12–13 January 2021 Brussels Official visit[d] [41][42]
3   Switzerland 2–5 March 2021 Bern Official visit[d] [43]
4  Slovenia 17 May 2021 Kranj Brdo-Brijuni Process [44]
5  Estonia 10–11 June 2021 Tallinn Official visit [45][46]
6  Turkey 17–18 June 2021 Antalya SEECP Summit [47]
7  Austria 22 June 2021 Vienna Official visit [48]
8  Japan 23 July 2021 Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony [49]
9   Switzerland 1 September 2021 Interlaken Swiss Economic Forum [50]

Awards[]

During Osmani's master's studies at the University of Pittsburgh, the university presented her with the Excellence for the Future Award twice.[1] Later, in 2017, the university awarded her the Sheth International Achievement Award for her contribution to democracy and human rights.[10][13]

Personal life[]

In 2012, Osmani married Prindon Sadriu, an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[3] They have twin daughters. Vjosa Osmani has a well loved son called Kron Osmani. He lives in the Netherlands. [24] Osmani speaks Albanian, English, Serbian, Spanish, and Turkish.[1]

Bibliography[]

Osmani has published books, articles, monographs and papers in the field of International and Commercial Law, in Albanian and English.

  • Monograph: "Street Children in Kosovo"; Finnish Human Rights Program in Kosovo in Three Languages (English, Albanian, Serbian), 2004
  • Arbitration - A Guide for Judges and Practitioners; USAID, 2008
  • Bar Exam Manual - Section on Commercial Law; co-author; UNDP and Kosovo Chamber of Advocates, 2008
  • Business Law - Authorized Lectures; Riinvest University, Kosovo, 2008
  • The Big Impact of a Small Program on the Development of Rule of Law in Kosovo (in "The Export of Legal Education: Promoting and Impacting Transition Countries); Ashgate, 2009
  • Representing Kosovo before the International Court of Justice; Center for International Legal Education (CILE Notes), September 2010, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
  • Balkans - Foreign Affairs, Politics and Socio-Cultures (co-author of section of Kosovo's Foreign Policy); EPOKA University Publications, Tirana, October 2011; ISBN 978-9928-4044-4-2
  • Kosovo's foreign policy: Five Years On (in "Political Thought: Foreign Policy and Aspects of International Diplomacy", co-author; 2011, No 43, September 2013; Konrad Adenauer Stiftung)
  • The Role of Parliamentary Diplomacy in Shaping the Foreign Policy of the Republic of Kosovo; University of Pittsburgh, Law Review, except publication: FALL, 2014

Notes[]

  1. ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 113 UN member states are said to have recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.
  2. ^ Boycotting the vote were opposition parties PDK and Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), as well as Serb minority party Serb List.[34] It was also reported that one or two members of the aforementioned parties may not have adhered to the boycott.[35]
  3. ^ The Constitution of Kosovo precludes the president from acting as an official of any political party.[38]
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c As acting president

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "Vjosa Osmani is elected President of Kosovo". Class (Albania). Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  2. ^ "A po largohet Vjosa Osmani nga LDK-ja? Kjo është deklarata e saj" [Is Vjosa Osmani leaving the LDK? This is her statement]. Kanal10 (in Albanian). 7 September 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Prindon Sadriu: Në MPJ jam punësuar para se të martohesha me Vjosa Osmanin" [Prindon Sadriu: I was employed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before I married Vjosa Osmani]. Gazeta Express (in Albanian). 27 November 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Pitt Law Alumna Vjosa Osmani Nominated by LDK as candidate for prime minister of Kosovo | School of Law | University of Pittsburgh". www.law.pitt.edu. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Kurti kandidat i VV-së për kryeministër, Osmani për presidente". Koha Ditore (in Albanian). 14 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Kosovo MPs elect lawyer Vjosa Osmani as president". Deutsche Welle. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c Callaghan, Louise (9 January 2021). "Shaped by Kosovo's war, Vjosa Osmani won't blink in her battle to cut out the rot". The Times. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sulaj, Agim; Abdula, Furkan (4 April 2021). "Kosovo's parliament elects Vjosa Osmani as president". Anadolu. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "CV" (PDF). juridiku.uni-pr.edu. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Vjosa Osmani | University Center for International Studies". www.ucis.pitt.edu. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "TREATY APPLICATION IN KOSOVO THROUGH RULES OF SUCCESSION AND AS DOMESTIC LAW: THE EXAMPLE OF THE CISG" (PDF). d-scholarship.pitt.edu. 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Universiteti i Prishtinës". archive.ph. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Vjosa Osmani, femra e parë si kandidate për kryeministre, e diplomuar në SHBA". 25 August 2019.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Winners and losers as new era of Kosovar politics dawns - Kosovo 2.0Kosovo 2.0". Kosovo 2.0. 8 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "LDK remove Vjosa Osmani from party leadership". 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Hashim Thaci elected Kosovo's new president amid tear gas - BBC News". archive.ph. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Vjosa Osmani, the woman taking on Kosovo's 'nasty' politics to be PM". www.msn.com.
  18. ^ "Kosovo to Elect New Parliament Amid Anger Over Graft, Unemployment". Voice of America. Reuters. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  19. ^ Zivanovic, Maja; Isufi, Perparim (7 October 2019). "Opposition Vetevendosje Party Triumphs in Kosovo Election". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Këto janë subjektet politike që mund t'i votoni më 6 tetor - Gazeta Express - www.gazetaexpress.com". 6 October 2019. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  21. ^ "UPDATE: Kosovo's Ruling Party Votes to Remove Speaker of Parliament V…". archive.ph. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  22. ^ "Osmani përfundimisht ndan rrugët me LDK-në: Bashkëpunimin me LVV-në …". archive.ph. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Vjosa Osmani: Në LDK do të kthehesha nëse reformohet - Indeksonline.n…". archive.ph. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Kosovo parliament elects reformist lawyer Osmani as president". Daily Sabah. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  25. ^ "Albanian Daily News". archive.ph. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  26. ^ "LDK leader Isa Mustafa steps down following electoral defeat". archive.ph. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Deputeti i LDK-së thotë se ka votuar kundër shkarkimit të Vjosa Osman…". archive.ph. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  28. ^ "REZULTATET PËRFUNDIMTARE KONAČNI REZULTATI" (PDF). www.kqz-ks.org. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Kosovo | Center for Strategic and International Studies". archive.ph. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Isa Mustafa resigns as LDK leader - Prishtina Insight". archive.ph. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  31. ^ "Kosovo Opposition LDK Elects Lumir Abdixhiku as Party President - Exi…". archive.ph. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b "Kosovo MPs elect lawyer Vjosa Osmani as president". Deutsche Welle. 4 April 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Kosovo parliament elects Vjosa Osmani as new president". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Kosovo MP Faced with Protest over Sexist Language against President". 6 April 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Vjosa Osmani elected Kosovo President". 4 April 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021.
  36. ^ "Para se të jepte betimin si presidente, Vjosa Osmani dha dorëheqje ng…". archive.ph. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  37. ^ "Pas dorëheqjes së Vjosa Osmanit, Donika Gërvalla e drejton iniciativë…". archive.ph. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  38. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo" (PDF). www.kryeministri-ks.net. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  39. ^ "Donika Gervalla: 'We are not an experiment, we are a sovereign state.…". archive.ph. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  40. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa. "Fjalimi i u.d. Presidentes Vjosa Osmani në Kuvendin e Shqipërisë". Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  41. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa. "U.d. Presidentja Osmani u takua me deputetët e Parlamentit Evropian që janë në Grupin e Miqësisë së Kosovës". Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  42. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa. "U.d. Presidentja Osmani mirëpritet në Parlamentin e Belgjikës nga Presidentja e Senatit, Stephanie D'Hose dhe Kryetarja e Dhomës së Përfaqësuesve, Éliane Tillieux". Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  43. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa. "U. d presidentja Osmani u takua me Presidentin e Këshillit Kombëtar të Zvicrës, Andreas Aebi". Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  44. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa. "Presidentja Osmani merr pjesë në Samitin e presidentëve të rajonit Brdo- Brijun në Slloveni". President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  45. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa. "Presidentja e Republikës së Kosovës, Vjosa Osmani, sot ka udhëtuar për në Estoni me ftesë të autoriteteve shtetërore të Estonisë dhe të enjten nisë vizitën dy ditore në këtë shtet". President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  46. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa. "Presidentja Osmani u takua me Presidenten e Estonisë, znj. Kersti Kaljulaid". President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  47. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa. "Presidentja Osmani merr pjesë në samitin vjetor të SEECP-së dhe në takimin inaugurues të Forumit Diplomatik të Antalias". President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  48. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa. "Presidentja Osmani në vizitë zyrtare në Austri". President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  49. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa. "Presidentja Osmani udhëtoi për në Japoni për pjesëmarrje në ceremoninë hapëse të Lojërave Olimpike Tokio 2020 si dhe për takime bilaterale". President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  50. ^ Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa. "Presidentja Osmani merr pjesë në Forumin Ekonomik të Zvicrës". President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by
Glauk Konjufca 		Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo
2020–2021 		Succeeded by
Avni Dehari
Acting
Preceded by
Hashim Thaçi 		President of Kosovo
Acting
2020–2021 		Succeeded by
Glauk Konjufca
Acting
Preceded by
Glauk Konjufca
Acting 		President of Kosovo
2021–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
New political party Leader of Guxo
2021 		Succeeded by
Donika Gërvalla
Retrieved from ""