Background and political system
With a population of over 1.6 million people, Kosovo* is located in Southeastern Europe, in the Western Balkans. Following the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) which placed Kosovo under a transitional administration, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, Kosovo’s first local elections were held in 2000 and parliamentary elections in 2001. After Kosovo declared unilateral independence from Serbia in 2008, the first local elections were held in 2009, while the first parliamentary elections took place in 2010.
The 'Constitution of Kosovo’, adopted in 2008 and subsequently amended, provides the framework for Kosovo’s political institutions and governance. Kosovo is a parliamentary democracy, and governs via central and local (38 municipalities) institutions.
Kosovo’s institutions consist of the Executive and Legislative branches, complemented by the Judicial branch. The central institutions are led by the President, who is elected by the Assembly for a five-year term. The Prime Minister is the Head of the central institutions and is appointed by the President, proposed by the majority party/coalition. The vote of confidence is made by the Assembly for formal appointment of the Prime Minister. The legislative unicameral Assembly is formed with 120 seats: 100 members directly elected by open-list proportional representation vote and 20 seats reserved for ethnic minorities (Serbs and other minorities). The judicial branch hosts the ‘Kosovo Supreme Court’, consisting of the Court President and 18 judges, and the ‘Constitutional Court’, consisting of the Court President, the Vice President and seven judges, in addition to subordinate courts.
* References to Kosovo in this website shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
Gender equality and women’s empowerment
Women’s right to vote and to stand for election in Kosovo dates back to 1945. Since 2001, Kosovo has progressed to achieving a 33.3 percent of percent of women (40 out of 120) elected in the Assembly in the latest election in 2021.
Although progress has been made towards democratization, rule of law, and economic development since the end of the conflict in 1999, patriarchal norms and attitudes persist, and challenges remain that impede women’s empowerment and participation in decision-making.
Nevertheless, considerable strides towards advancing SDG 5 have been made. In the past few years, there has been some progress in the areas of women’s representation in decision-making and economic empowerment, while relevant actions have been put in place to address gender-based violence. Further efforts are still necessary for Kosovo’s institutions to enhance the implementation of laws and policies, and gender mainstreaming in the administration.
Structure of the Assembly
The Assembly is composed of 120 members elected to four-year terms, through an open-list proportional representation vote with 20 seats reserved for representation from non-majority communities in Kosovo. The Assembly is responsible for deciding on amendments to the Constitution, enforcing legislative initiatives, electing and dismissing the President and Vice Presidents of the Assembly, electing the institutions and overseeing their work.
The electoral law adopted in 2008 establishes that in each political entity’s candidate list, at least 30 percent shall be of a different gender, with one candidate from each gender included at least once in each group of three candidates.
Women's representation in parliament
As of July 2024, the Kosovo Assembly has 40 women members, representing 33.3 percent. The next elections will be held in 2025.
Forecast based on past trends
If changes continue at the current pace, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the average rate of improvement from 1995 to 2023 and projecting it into the future.
Forecast based on recent trends
If changes registered in the past five years continue, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the average rate of change in the past five years and projecting it into the future.
Best case forecast
If the situation improves similarly to the country performing best in the region, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the rate of improvement from the country performing best in the region and accelerating the change with this amount over five years and then keeping it constant.
Worst case forecast
If the situation deteriorates similarly to the country registering the worst drop in the region, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the drop rate in the country performing worst in the region and deteriorating the situation with this amount over five years and then keeping it constant.
Women Chairpersons of Assembly Committees
The Kosovo Assembly has 14 specialized Committees on the topics of Budget, Labour and Transfer; Rights and Interests of Communities and Returns; Legislation, Mandates, Immunities, Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and Oversight of the Anti-Corruption Agency; European Integration; Foreign Affairs and Diaspora; Education, Science, Technology, Innovation, Culture and Sports; Economy, Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade; Agriculture, Forestry, Rural Development, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure; Health and Social Welfare; Public Administration, Local Governance, Media and Rural Development; Security and Defense Affairs; Human Rights, Gender Equality, Victims of Sexual Violence During the War, Missing Persons and Petitions; Oversight of Public Finances; Oversight for Kosovo Intelligence Agency.
As of July 2024, women are the chairpersons of the Committee on European Integration (Rrezarta Krasniqi), the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora (Arbereshe Kryeziu Hyseni), the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Rural Development, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Fitore Pacolli – Dalipi), the Committee on Health and Social Welfare (Fatmire Kollcaku), the Committee on Human Rights, Gender Equality, Victims of Sexual Violence During the War, Missing Persons and Petitions (Duda Balje), the Committee for Oversight of Public Finances (Hykmete Bajrami), and the Oversight Committee for Kosovo Intelligence Agency (Ganimete Musliu).
Structure of the institutions
Central institutions
The President is the guarantor of the democratic functioning of Kosovo’s institutions. The Prime Minister is responsible for exercising the day-to-day executory tasks of the central institutions.
The Cabinet is composed of the Prime Minister and 17 appointed Ministers and Deputy Prime Ministers. Currently there are six women in the Cabinet: Donika Gervalla-Schwarz and Emilija Redzepi who are also Deputy Prime Ministers, and Albulena Haxhiu, Arberie Nagavci, Artane Rizvanolli, and Rozeta Hajdari.
The current Prime Minister of Kosovo is Albin Kurti, who has been in power since 2021, while the current President is Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu. Before Osmani-Sadriu, Atifete Jahjaga was Kosovo’s first woman President (2011-2016), and the first woman in the Balkans region to hold such a position. There is yet to be a woman Prime Minister for Kosovo.
Ministers or Cabinet Members
Donika Gervalla – Schwarz
Emilija Redzepi
Albulena Haxhiu
Arberie Nagavci
Artane Rizvanolli
Rozeta Hajdari
Local institutions
At the local level, municipalities are the basic territorial unit of local institutions. The local representative governing body is the municipal assembly, while the executive organ is the Mayor. Both organs are directly elected by the people and serve for a four-year term. The size of municipal assemblies varies, from 15 councillors for the smallest municipalities to 35-41 for major towns and 51 for the capital. The gender quota also extends to the local institutions, with a 30 percent minimum gender representation requirement for each electoral zone.
For more information on gender quotas adopted at the national level, visit the women in parliament section.
Structure of public administration
The central institution’s roles and responsibilities include the organization of the public administration in general, as well as the legal framework governing and defining this structure, which are amongst the main factors influencing the advancement and reformation of public administration.
Local institutions are responsible for the administration of matters relating to local economic development, land use and environmental protection, the provision and maintenance of public services, spaces and utilities, the provision of primary and secondary education, social welfare, tourism and local transport. The main three municipalities with Serbian majority enjoy enhanced competencies, including the management of secondary health services and cultural matters.
Women’s representation as employees and decision-makers in public administration
This visualization was developed based on data provided by GIRL@University of Pittsburgh.
Data across countries and territories is not comparable. For more information about the methodology and sources used, read here.
In the context of Kosovo’s public administration, the journey of women’s representation reflects a fluctuating path towards gender balance. At the employee level, women’s representation measured 27.9 percent in 2022, with a high point of 29.1 percent in 2021. Meanwhile, the decision-making level has experienced a recent increase, with women’s representation increasing from 19.3 percent in 2018 to 23 percent in 2023.