The mandate of Kosovo’s president Vjosa Osmani ends on Saturday, with her duties set to be transferred to parliamentary speaker Albulena Haxhiu, the presidency said.
A formal handover ceremony is scheduled for 1600 local time at the presidential office.
Osmani was elected president on April 4, 2021, after securing 71 votes in a third round of voting in parliament, following two inconclusive rounds.
In the first round, 69 lawmakers backed her candidacy, while in the second she received 67 votes, both short of the threshold required under Kosovo’s constitution.
She was ultimately elected in the third round, in which 82 lawmakers participated and 11 ballots were declared invalid.
Under Kosovo’s constitution, the president is elected by parliament and serves a five-year term, with a two-thirds majority required in the first two rounds of voting and a simple majority in the third.
The president’s role is largely ceremonial but includes key responsibilities such as representing the country internationally, safeguarding the constitutional order and acting as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
If parliament fails to elect a new president within the required timeframe, early parliamentary elections may be triggered.
Kosovo’s political system has often faced institutional deadlocks in presidential elections, making interim arrangements — where the speaker assumes presidential duties — a recurring constitutional mechanism.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and remains recognised by most Western countries, although it is not a member of the United Nations due to opposition from Serbia and its allies.