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Justina Shiroka Pula

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Justina Shiroka Pula
Image
Pula in 2026
President of Kosovo
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 October 2026
Prime MinisterAlbin Kurti
Preceded byAlbulena Haxhiu (acting)
President of the Kosova Academy of Sciences and Arts
In office
19 December 2025 – 6 October 2026
Preceded byMehmet Kraja
Succeeded byVacant
Member of the Assembly of Kosovo
In office
21 February 2011 – 7 May 2014
Parliamentary groupDemocratic
Minister of Energy and Mining of Kosovo
In office
8 January 2008 – 21 February 2011
President
Prime MinisterHashim Thaçi
Preceded byEthem Çeku
Succeeded byBesim Beqaj
Personal details
BornJustina Shiroka
(1953-12-20) 20 December 1953 (age 72)[1]
Pristina, Yugoslavia (now Kosovo)
PartyIndependent (since 2017)
Other political
affiliations
PDK (2008–2017)[2]
Spouse
Blerim Pula
​
​
(m. 1977; died 2026)​
Children4
Education
Occupation

Justina Shiroka Pula (born 20 December 1953)[1] is a Kosovar politician, author and economist who is currently serving as President of Kosovo since 7 October 2026. She is the third woman to hold the office, after Atifete Jahjaga and Vjosa Osmani. Previously, she served as Minister of Energy and Mining from 2008 to 2011 and as president of the Kosova Academy of Sciences and Arts (ASHAK), becoming the first woman to lead the institution.

On 7 October 2026, she was elected President of Kosovo with 81 votes in the Assembly of Kosovo.[3] She is the oldest president to have ever served in office and also holds the record for receiving the highest number of votes in a parliamentary presidential election.

Education

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Pula graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Pristina in 1976, and graduated in the theory and politics of development economics in 1984 from the University of Zagreb.[4][5] In 1977, Pula obtained her PhD from the Faculty of Economics in Pristina with a thesis entitled Demographic Investments and Economic Development of Kosovo.[4]

Career

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She began working at the Central Bank of Kosovo after graduating, and has been a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Pristina since 1978.[5]

She has spent her professional career in financial and educational institutions, as well as leading various NGOs in the country.[5] Between 2002 and 2008, she chaired the Board of Directors of the Kosovar Civil Society Foundation.[6] Between 2008 and 2011 she served as Minister of Energy and Mining, and between 2011 and 2014 as a member of the Assembly of Kosovo.[5]

In 2016, Pula was elected a corresponding member of the Kosova Academy of Sciences and Arts and, since 2018, has served as secretary of the Social Sciences Section and a member of the board.[5] In 2020, she was elevated to full academic membership of the Academy.[5] On 19 December 2025, Pula was elected president of the Academy by the institution's assembly, becoming the first woman to hold the office.[5]

Presidency

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On 4 March 2026, media outlets reported that the PDK had proposed her as a potential candidate for the 2026 Kosovan presidential election. However, both Pula and PDK leadership denied the claims that same day.[7][8]

Shiroka Pula was elected president by the Assembly of Kosovo and sworn in as president on the evening of 6 October 2026, receiving 81 votes in the first round. She was proposed by Prime Minister Albin Kurti after earlier candidates failed to win the backing of the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), ending a deadlock that had left the office vacant since Vjosa Osmani's term ended on 4 April 2026.[9][10]

Personal life

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Pula was born on 20 December 1953 in Pristina,[1] then Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, present-day capital of Kosovo. She is the daughter of Simon Shiroka, one of Kosovo's most well known handicraftsmen and craftsman-filigree jewelers in Prizren.[11][12] She was married to Blerim Pula between 1977,[13] and his death in 2026.[14] She is Roman Catholic, making her the first Catholic president.[15]

Works

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  • (2013). "Decision-Making Processes" (co-authored with B. Krasniqi), Pristina: Institute of Economic Research, "Globus" (201 pp.): ISBN 978-9951-582-06-3.
  • (2007). "Linear Programming Transport Methods", Pristina: University of Pristina (302 pp.): ISBN 9951-00-044-4 .
  • (2006). "Management and Decision-Making" (co-authored with I. Kuka and Krasniqi, B.), Pristina: University of Pristina (399 pp.): ISBN 9951-00-057-6 .

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Vota Ime" [My Vote] (PDF) (in Albanian). Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI). p. 37. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Shiroka-Pula jep dorëheqje nga kryetarja e GDK-s në PDK" [Shiroka-Pula resigns as chairwoman of the GDK in the PDK] (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 13 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "Justina Shiroka-Pula zgjidhet Presidente e Kosovës" (in Albanian).
  4. 1 2 "Justina Shiroka-Pula elected president of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts". Koha Ditore. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Justina Pula is elected president of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts, the first woman to head this institution". Reporteri. 19 December 2025. Archived from the original on 7 October 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Our Work". KCSF. Retrieved 8 October 2026.
  7. ↑ "Justina Pula, PDK's "proposal" for president". Koha Ditore. 4 March 2026. Archived from the original on 12 July 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Justina Pula: Asnjë anëtar i PDK-së nuk më ka kontaktuar – jam mirë në Akademi" [Justina Pula: No member of the PDK has contacted me – I'm fine at the Academy]. Gazeta Blic (in Albanian). 4 March 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Kosovo Elects President Dodging New Political Deadlock". Prishtina Insight. 7 October 2026.
  10. ↑ "Justina Shiroka-Pula elected president of Kosovo". Albeu. 7 October 2026.
  11. ↑ "Simon Shiroka – Naivio". naivio.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2026. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "Justina Shiroka Pula, me monografi për artistin, Simon Shiroka – TV21". tv21 (in Albanian). 27 August 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  13. ↑ "Zonjat flasin për ditën e nusërisë së tyre" [The Ladies Talk About Their Wedding Day]. Revista Teuta (in Albanian). Retrieved 8 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ndërron jetë bashkëshorti i kryetares së ASHAK-ut, Justina Shiroka-Pula" [The husband of ASHAK chairwomen Justina Shiroka-Pula dies] (in Albanian). Epoka e Re. 26 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Nobody Asked Her Religion". The Kosovo Dispatch. 7 October 2026. Archived from the original on 7 October 2026. Retrieved 8 October 2026.
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