Atifete Jahjaga
Encyclopedia
Atifete Jahjaga (born 20 April 1975) is the fourth and current President of Kosovo
. She is the first female, the first non-partisan candidate, and the youngest to be elected to the office. She is also the first female head of state in modern Balkans
. She previously served as the Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police, holding the rank of General Major, the highest among women in Southeastern Europe.
Faculty of Law in 2000. In 2006/07, she attended a graduate certificate program in police management and criminal law at the University of Leicester
in the United Kingdom
. She has 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.
, Jahjaga began working as an interpreter for the international police. Later on, she completed training to become an officer and gradually sought promotion to higher ranks, initially to major, then colonel, and finally general major. She was first deployed with the border police and then transferred to the training department.
Jahjaga held the position of deputy director of the Kosovo Police, and briefly filled in as acting general director in 2010. While serving as police officer, she drew the attention of American officers and diplomats who presented her before senior U.S. officials on special occasions. 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.
by 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 reputation as a police commander, she came out of relative obscurity as a candidate for the high office of the state, with most of the public and political leaders unaware of her political leanings.
On 7 April, she 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. Only Kosovo's 1st President Ibrahim Rugova
has received more votes, being appointed by the Parliament by a 88-3 vote in 2002, in the third round and winning by a landslide in direct presidential elections in 1992 and 1998.
In her inaugural address, Jahjaga stated that one of her main goals as President is to secure Kosovo's membership in 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
.
President of Kosovo
The President of the Republic of Kosovo is Head of State of the disputed Republic of Kosovo. The President of Kosovo is elected by the Assembly of Kosovo. The first post-war president, who served until his death in January 2006, was Ibrahim Rugova. His successor was Fatmir Sejdiu. When Sejdiu...
. She is the first female, the first non-partisan candidate, and the youngest to be elected to the office. She is also the first female head of state in modern Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. She previously served as the Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police, holding the rank of General Major, the highest among women in Southeastern Europe.
Early life and education
Jahjaga was born in Đakovica where she attended primary and secondary school. She graduated from the University of PrishtinaUniversity of Prishtina
The University of Prishtina as well as the Universiteti i Prishtinës are at present two disjoint public universities located in Kosovo, sharing the same history up to a point of bifurcation, which took place in 1999....
Faculty of Law in 2000. In 2006/07, she attended a graduate certificate program in police management and criminal law at the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. She has also received extensive professional training at the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies in Germany and the FBI National Academy
FBI National Academy
The FBI National Academy is an independent program for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders. The first session began on July 29, 1935, with 23 students in attendance. At the time, professional development for law enforcement leaders was largely non-existent. The program focuses on...
in the United States.
Police career
After the Kosovo WarKosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
, Jahjaga began working as an interpreter for the international police. Later on, she completed training to become an officer and gradually sought promotion to higher ranks, initially to major, then colonel, and finally general major. She was first deployed with the border police and then transferred to the training department.
Jahjaga held the position of deputy director of the Kosovo Police, and briefly filled in as acting general director in 2010. While serving as police officer, she drew the attention of American officers and diplomats who presented her before senior U.S. officials on special occasions. Her pictures with U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
during his visit to the FBI National Academy
FBI National Academy
The FBI National Academy is an independent program for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders. The first session began on July 29, 1935, with 23 students in attendance. At the time, professional development for law enforcement leaders was largely non-existent. The program focuses on...
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.
President of Kosovo
On 6 April 2011, she was announced as a consensual candidate for president of KosovoKosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
by the Democratic Party of Kosovo
Democratic Party of Kosovo
The Democratic Party of Kosovo is the largest political party in Kosovo . It is a social democratic party and the main leftist party in Kosovo....
, Democratic League of Kosovo
Democratic League of Kosovo
The Democratic League of Kosovo is the second largest political party in Kosovo. It is a conservative and liberal conservative party; the main right-wing party in Kosovo....
and New Kosovo Alliance
New Kosovo Alliance
New Kosovo Alliance is a political party in Kosovo which is in the current coalition government made up by the PDK and AKR. The party was founded on 3 May 2006, by Behgjet Pacolli the founding owner of Mabetex,the Swiss based project engineering firm responsible for some of the most significant...
, and supported by the US Ambassador in Kosovo, Christopher Dell
Christopher Dell
Christopher William Dell is a career United States Foreign Service officer who currently serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo, after having been posted to Angola and Zimbabwe.-Education:...
. Although she enjoyed a reputation as a police commander, she came out of relative obscurity as a candidate for the high office of the state, with most of the public and political leaders unaware of her political leanings.
On 7 April, she was elected President on the first round of voting by the Parliament
Assembly of Kosovo
The Assembly of Kosovo was originally established by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo in 2001 to provide 'provisional, democratic self-government'....
; of 100 MPs present, 80 voted for Jahjaga and 10 cast a ballot for Suzan Novoberdali
Suzan Novoberdali
Suzan Novoberdali is a Kosovar politician, serving as a Member of Parliament of Kosovo since 2007. She is a member of the New Kosovo Alliance political party and the New Kosova Coalition parliamentary caucus. She lost her seat in the 2010 general elections, but returned to the parliament after 14...
. To date, she is the only president to be elected on the first round of voting. Only Kosovo's 1st President Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova was an Albanian politician who was the first President of Kosovo and of its leading political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo ....
has received more votes, being appointed by the Parliament by a 88-3 vote in 2002, in the third round and winning by a landslide in direct presidential elections in 1992 and 1998.
In her inaugural address, Jahjaga stated that one of her main goals as President is to secure Kosovo's membership in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. "The ideal of all Kosovo is membership in the EU and a permanent friendship with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. I believe and I am convinced our dreams will come true," she said in her first speech to the Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
.