Kosovo
President expected to return Specialist Chambers law to Parliament today; Shiroka-Pula: Constitutional Court rulings must be implemented
The eight-day constitutional deadline expires tomorrow; the law provides for a maximum sentence of 15 years and for sentences to be served in Kosovo.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 22, 2026, 11:05 · Updated 12:24 · 2 min read
In brief
- Sources in the Presidency say Justina Shiroka-Pula is expected to send the law on the Specialist Chambers back for reconsideration.
- The law was passed on Oct. 6 with 88 votes, while the EU has raised concerns about its compliance with international obligations.
- On the Constitutional Court's 17th anniversary, the president said rulings must be implemented and not treated as personal matters.
Kosovo President Justina Shiroka-Pula is expected today to return the law on the Specialist Chambers to Parliament for reconsideration, according to media sources in the Presidency cited by Albeu. Beforehand, she is expected to meet with representatives of political parties.
What the law provides
Parliament passed the law on Oct. 6 with the votes of 88 lawmakers and sent it to the president for promulgation on Oct. 15. The amended version caps the maximum sentence at 15 years, allows sentences to be served in Kosovo, and includes the president's right to pardon and the possibility of appeal to the Supreme Court on matters of the Chambers' jurisdiction. The European Union has raised concerns about whether these changes are consistent with Kosovo's international obligations.
Under Article 80 of the Constitution, the president has eight days to promulgate the law or return it for reconsideration; the deadline expires tomorrow. She can return a law only once, and if lawmakers pass it again, it follows the constitutional procedure.
Nagavci: We asked that it not be rushed
Arbërie Nagavci, head of Vetëvendosje's parliamentary group, recalled that her party had insisted the law not be passed in a hurry, precisely to avoid situations like this. She cited the case of former President Vjosa Osmani, who in the previous legislature returned two laws that, she said, have still not been passed. Nagavci expressed confidence that Shiroka-Pula will review the bill carefully.
A message from the Constitutional Court
Meanwhile, at a ceremony marking the 17th anniversary of the founding of the Constitutional Court, the president said its rulings must be implemented and not treated as personal matters, regardless of the political consequences. She stressed that the court's independence matters most precisely in times of political crisis and that democracy is measured not by the absence of limits on power, but by the willingness to respect them.
