In the 13 years since Kosovo declared independence, Vjosa Osmani has become the fifth president. The 38-year-old lawyer also became the second woman to hold this post, after Atifete Jahjaga, who was President from 2011 to 2016.
On April 4 Osmani received 71 votes to 82 from the MPs present in the 120-seat Assembly. In the last snap parliamentary elections, the President received the most votes of any candidate in Kosovo history. after she received 300,756 personal votes.
Additionally, gender representation in the Assembly also set a record in the legislative body: For the first time, more than one-third of 120 MPs will be women — 43 in total.
However, the Law on Gender Equality, which requires equal gender representation in electoral lists and decision-making positions in the executive branch, still hasn’t found support among politicians.
From the moment the election was certified, the increase in gender representation has been welcomed by citizens and women rights activists alike. But can increased gender representation impact social transformation and movements? How can it impact the battle for equality and social justice? Does feminist articulation take place in political discourse, and to what extent can it be turned into genuine feminist public policies?
Listen to the latest Konteksti episode, where our contributing editor Dafina Halili talks to Besnik Pula, Assistant Professor at the political sciences department at Virginia Tech, USA, and Besa Luci, Editor-in-Chief of Kosovo 2.0, discuss this further.K
Author: Dafina Halili / K2.0.
Guests:
Besnik Pula, Assistant Professor at the political Sciences department, Virginia Tech, USA.
Besa Luci, Editor-in-chief at Kosovo 2.0.
Sound mix: Studio 11
Feature image: K2.0.
Production: Dibran Sejdiu / K2.0.
This article is part of the Human Rightivism project, which is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), implemented by the Community Development Fund through its Human Rightivism Program. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
