Kosovo needs a president who stems from justice, not from party bargaining

In the impasse in which Kosovo finds itself regarding the election of the next president, a question that arouses my sociological curiosity is how profitable it would be for the interests of the state and the nation, in general, if a proven and experienced apolitical judge could be elected to the position of president?

I ask this question because, in the conditions of high political polarization that has been prevailing for almost two years, the election of a president with a proven judicial and apolitical profile could, among other things, serve as an adequate mechanism for increasing institutional trust, strengthening constitutional culture, and reducing the perception of partisan capture of the state. In this context, I recall that the solution, not ideal, but real, would be if this position were “occupied” by a personality from the sphere of justice. Here my allusion is to a judge or judge who has an appropriate moral-political capital in his/her life.

Now, if we start to list some sociological qualities or parameters, and undoubtedly some legal ones, why not also moral and meritocratic ones, for a type of apolitical and proven judge in the Kosovar circumstances, among many, in my opinion I would emphasize:

First, the sociological criterion or parameter of political neutrality, which in our circumstances I think there are such individuals who, with their professional history and experience, but also with their indifference to current political subjects, have maintained and exercised a considerable “distance” from the political processes and developments of the country in the last two decades. It must be said that this criterion is very closely related to moral integrity, because Kosovo is not that big, therefore a social “jungle”, where we do not sufficiently recognize each other’s reputation and professional ethics, exercised and filtered through legal mechanisms.

Secondly, the criterion or parameter that I think is very important for the position of president is that of professional legitimacy. Here we clearly understand and evaluate both the decisions made in his/her career, which will necessarily be evaluated based on the law and not on the interests of certain party groups and clans, as well as the capital of authority and professionalism, whether in management situations or in active participation in the state-building process of the Republic.

Thirdly, I am thinking of an equally credible and important criterion, which, when considering the circumstances in which the state of Kosovo was created, carries great weight and deserves to be emphasized as such. It has to do with the ability to resist pressures, be they partisan, ideological or from powerful clans that gained strength after the war, then from interest groups and international influences, when they conflict with the constitutional order of the Republic.

In addition to these, but also other criteria that should "embroider" the necklace of the future president, I think that some, so to speak, additional "sub-criteria" should be listed, which, without a doubt, would only ennoble his/her future role. Among these "sub-criteria" I would count a modest rating of public trust, so that the figure or person who comes with a legal background and nature truly represents exclusively ideological and party neutrality, and not the interests of any political or oligarchic camp.

Also, I think that in this scheme of “sub-criteria” the ability, but also the care, should be included, so that this president knows how to speak, that is, to communicate with the public and current political entities through legal decisions and arguments, avoiding political rhetoric. Thus, this type of candidate, in my sociological judgment, would also fulfill the “sub-criterion”, or the quality necessary for state leadership of the Republic, which is the ability not to arouse doubts about his/her decision-making among current political entities.

So, we could also list additional criteria, principles and “sub-criteria” regarding the selection of a consensual president, which, in a way, would toughen the discourse of selection for this post, still, in my opinion, formal. But I hope that, in the not too distant future, with an expanded electoral reform, the role of the president will be strengthened with additional powers, so that the same will be elected directly through the citizen vote, and not through party compromises (read: “bargains”). Because precisely this way would make the figure of this post even more acceptable, but also a unifying factor in the period in which the prolonged transition should end.