By Iris Beqiri/ Let's elect a president like America

2026-03-09 13:37:00, Opinione Iris Beqiri

Albania and Kosovo are two parliamentary republics, where the president is the head of state who represents unity and has a mainly ceremonial role.

Despite this, every time the time comes to elect a new president, it seems as if a meaningless crisis is approaching in these two countries. This is due to the numerous debates that involve all possible parties: the political parties that propose, the representatives in the Assembly who must express their position by vote, and public opinion.

In Albania, Articles 86-94 of the Constitution expressly define the criteria, election, and duties of the President of the Republic. Similarly, Kosovo must elect a new president every five years, through a procedure defined in Article 86 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo.

However, the situation in the first days of March has shown that in Kosovo, now that the mandate of President Vjosa Osmani is ending, unrest is returning again for a new figure at the head of state, who has already announced the dissolution of parliament to go to early elections, after the end of the attempts and the constitutional deadline.

Meanwhile, in Albania, the mandate of President Bajram Begaj, elected in 2022, ends next year.

Seen from the outside, it seems incredible that countries with populations like Albania and Kosovo have such difficulty reaching a name for the one who will exercise the function of president, while in countries with many times more inhabitants, such an election has become a kind of political 'routine' that serves the citizens and avoids the prolongation of the vacancy.

Perhaps the best option is to elect the president as is done in the United States of America, where the 20th Amendment to the US Constitution sets a certain time frame from the vote for the president to the inauguration. In this way, the elected candidate would be decided in advance, before the incumbent's term officially ends.

This American way of electing the president would be very suitable for Albania and Kosovo, where the political chaos over this issue feels like agony.

Therefore, the start of the procedure for electing the President of the Republic could be scheduled earlier than usual, about 6 months before the end of the current president's term, thus ensuring not only a calmer political climate, but also a more normal transition of office.