The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, said on Wednesday that assuming the office of head of state five years ago was not the peak of her career, but only the beginning.

She made this statement during an event marking Women’s Week in Pristina, just days before the end of her term as president.

“Five years ago, when I took office, I did not see it as the peak of my journey, but as a beginning. It was the moment when responsibility began, and I did not take power as a privilege, but as a service,” Osmani said.

According to Osmani, her five-year term at the head of the state was a period during which institutions were strengthened and space for women increased.

However, she also mentioned what she described as a smear campaign against her, which she said took place recently after she dissolved the Assembly by presidential decree.

Although she did not mention names, the head of state said that when propaganda can turn someone into a traitor overnight, then the entire democracy is at risk.

“In recent weeks, my work has been accompanied by a smear campaign. It is an attempt to strip a person of human dignity. When propaganda can turn anyone into a traitor overnight, then the whole democracy is at risk,” she said.