Kosovo parliament to elect new president or face fresh poll

Apr 7, 2011, 5:27 GMT

Belgrade - Leading Kosovo parties struck a deal to back Atifete Jahjaga as the new president to end a political stalemate and avert another snap election.

The ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party (PDK), and the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo agreed late Wednesday to elect Jahjaga, a high-ranking police official and a neutral candidate.

She would replace Behgjet Pacolli, whose election on February 22 was overturned by the Constitutional Court as illegal. Pacolli, the leader of the PDK's junior partner, the Alliance New Kosovo, was forced to leave office last week.

The Kosovo president is currently elected in parliament. According to the deal between the main political parties, electoral laws would be changed to introduce direct presidential elections in 2012 and parliamentary elections would be held a year early, in 2013.

Kosovo is a former province of Serbia with a majority Albanian population. It declared independence from Belgrade in 2008.

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