The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the church.

History[link]

The Washington Times was founded in 1982 by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the Unification Church which also owns newspapers in South Korea, Japan, and South America, as well as the news agency United Press International.^[1] Bo Hi Pak, the chief aide of church founder and leader Sun Myung Moon, was the founding president and the founding chairman of the board.^[2] Moon asked Richard L. Rubenstein, a rabbi and college professor who had written on the Holocaust, to serve on the board of directors.^[3]

At the time of founding of the Times Washington had only one major newspaper, the Washington Post. Massimo Introvigne, in his 2000 book The Unification Church, said that the Post had been "the most anti-Unificationist paper in the United States."^[4] In 2002, at an event held to celebrate the Times' 20th anniversary, Moon said: "The Washington Times is responsible to let the American people know about God" and "The Washington Times will become the instrument in spreading the truth about God to the world."^[5]

The Washington Times bag.

The Times was founded the year after the Washington Star, the previous "second paper" of D.C., went out of business, after operating for over 100 years. A large percentage of the staff came from the Washington Star. When the Times began, it was unusual among American broadsheets in publishing a full color front page, along with full color front pages in all its sections and color elements throughout. Although USA Today used color in the same way, it took several years for the Washington Post, New York Times and others to do the same. The Times originally published its editorials and opinion columns in a physically separate "Commentary" section, rather than at the end of its front news section as is common practice in U.S. newspapers. It ran television commercials highlighting this fact. Later, this practice was abandoned (except on Sundays, when many other newspapers, including the Post, also do it). The Washington Times also used ink that it advertised as being less likely to come off on the reader's hands than the Post's. This design and its editorial content attracted "real influence" in Washington.^[6] When the Times began it had 125 reporters, 25% of them Unification Church members.^[7] In 1982 the Post criticized the Times for its negative review of the movie Inchon, which was also sponsored by the Unification Church.^[8]

Former speechwriter for President George W. Bush David Frum, in his 2000 book How We Got Here: The '70s, wrote that Moon had granted the Times editorial independence.^[6] But some former employees, including the newspaper's first editor and publisher, James R. Whelan, have insisted that the paper was under Moon's control from the beginning. Whelan, whose contract guaranteed editorial autonomy, left the paper when the owners refused to renew the contract, asserting that "I have blood on my hands" for helping Moon acquire legitimacy.^[9] Three years later editorial page editor William P. Cheshire and four of his staff resigned, charging that, at the explicit direction of Sang Kook Han, a top official of the Unification Church, then-editor Arnaud de Borchgrave had stifled editorial criticism of political repression in South Korea. ^[10]

The Times was read every day by President Ronald Reagan during his terms in office.^[11] In 1997 he said:

The American people know the truth. You, my friends at The Washington Times, have told it to them. It wasn't always the popular thing to do. But you were a loud and powerful voice. Like me, you arrived in Washington at the beginning of the most momentous decade of the century. Together, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. And—oh, yes—we won the Cold War.^[12]

The Times circulation has always been much less than the Washington Post. In 1992 the New York Times reported the Times had only one-eighth the circulation of the Post (100,000 to 800,000) and that two-thirds of its subscribers also subscribed to the Post.^[13] In 1994, the Times introduced a weekly national edition, especially targeted to conservative readers nationwide.^[14]

In 1997, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (which is critical of United States and Israeli policies), praised the Times (along with The Christian Science Monitor owned by the Church of Christ, Scientist), and the Times’ sister publication The Middle East Times for their objective and informative coverage of Islam and the Middle East, while criticizing the Times generally pro-Israel editorial policy. The Report suggested that these newspapers, being owned by churches, were less influenced by pro-Israel pressure groups in the United States.^[15] In 1998 the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram wrote that the Times' editorial policy was "rabidly anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and pro-Israel."^[16]

In 2002, the Times published a story accusing the National Educational Association (NEA), the largest teachers' union in the United States, of promoting teaching students that the policies of the United States government were partly to blame for the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.^[17] This was denied by the NEA and by other commentators.^[18][19]

In 2002, Post veteran Ben Bradlee said, "I see them get some local stories that I think the Post doesn’t have and should have had."^[20] Dante Chinni wrote in the Columbia Journalism Review:

In addition to giving voice to stories that, as Pruden says, “others miss,” the Times plays an important role in Washington’s journalistic farm system. The paper has been a springboard for young reporters to jobs at The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, even the Post. Lorraine Woellert, who worked at the Times from 1992 to 1998, says her experience there allowed her to jump directly to her current job at Business Week. “I got a lot of opportunities very quickly. They appreciated and rewarded talent and, frankly, there was a lot of turnover.”^[21]

In his 2003 book, Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, comedian, author, and later senator Al Franken devoted a chapter to criticizing the Times after executive editor Wesley Pruden re-wrote a reporter's story—without the reporter's knowledge—about Franken's performance at a White House party. According to Franken, the rewrite was made to appear as if Franken had received a negative reception, which he says was not the case.^[22]

In 2004 the Washington Post reported dissention between some of the Times staff and ownership over the paper's stance on international issues, including support for the United Nations.^[23]

The Southern Poverty Law Center in its Spring 2005 report criticized the wife of Times editor Francis "Fran" Coombs for writing articles for white nationalist websites such as the Occidental Quarterly.^[24] In 2006, Max Blumenthal writing in The Nation reported that Moon's son Preston Moon was in the process of ousting Coombs because of his racist editorializing. Blumenthal, quoting veteran Times news reporter George Archibald and others, reported that Coombs had made a number of racist and sexist comments, and was in the process of being sued by his colleagues for his remarks. Moon was also reported to be trying to oust editor in chief Wesley Pruden, who was also said to have far-right leanings including sympathy for the Confederate States of America, and to recruit a non-extremist person to replace him.^[25]

As of 2007^[update], home delivery of the paper in its local area was made in bright orange plastic bags, with the words, "Brighter. Bolder. The Washington Times" and a slogan that changes. Two of the slogans are "The voice and choice of discerning readers" and "You're not getting it all without us".^[26]

In 2009, the Manila Times criticized the Times for an editorial which it said interfered with the political process in the Philippines,^[27] while the New York Times criticized it for an editorial linking proposed health care reforms in the United States to policies of Nazi Germany.^[28][29]

In January 2008, editor-in-chief Wesley Pruden retired and John F. Solomon began work as executive editor of the Times. Solomon is known for his work as an investigative journalist for the Associated Press and the Washington Post, and was most recently head of investigative reporting and mixed media development at the Post.^[30][31][32] Within a month the Times changed some of its style guide to conform more to mainstream media usage. The Times announced that it would no longer use words like "illegal aliens" and "homosexual," and in most cases opt for "more neutral terminology" like "illegal immigrants" and "gay," respectively. The paper also decided to stop using "Hillary" when referring to Senator Hillary Clinton, and the word "marriage" in the expression "gay marriage" will no longer appear in quotes in the newspaper. These changes in policy drew criticism from some conservatives.^[33] Prospect magazine attributed the Times' apparent move to the center to differences of opinion over the United Nations and North Korea, and said: "The Republican right may be losing its most devoted media ally."^[34]

On November 30, 2009 the New York Times reported that the Washington Times would no longer be receiving funds from the Unification Church and might have to cease publication or go to online publication only.^[35] In December 2009 the Times announced it would lay off 40% of its 370 employees and stop subscription service, instead distributing the paper free in some areas of Washington including branches of the government. The Times said that it would focus on its "core strengths," which it identified as "exclusive reporting and in-depth national political coverage, enterprise and investigative reporting, geo-strategic and national security news and cultural coverage based on traditional values." A subscription website owned by the paper, theconservatives.com, continued, as did the Times three-hour radio program, “America’s Morning News.”^[36] Later that month the Times announced that it would cease publication of its Sunday edition, along with other changes partly in order to end its reliance on subsidies from the Unification Church ownership.^[37] On December 31, 2009 it announced that it would end its coverage of sports.^[38][39]

In July 2010 international leaders of the Unification Church issued a letter protesting the direction the Times was taking and urging closer ties between it and the church.^[40] In August 2010, a deal was made to sell the Times to a group more closely related to the church. Editor-in-chief Sam Dealey said that this was a welcome development among the Times' staff.^[41] On November 2, 2010, Moon and a group of former Washington Times editors purchased the paper from Moon's son, Preston Moon, for $1. This ended a stalemate that had been threatening to shut down the paper completely.^[42] In March 2011 the Times announced that some former staffers would be rehired and that the paper would bring back its sports, metro and life sections.^[43] In June 2011 Ed Kelley, formerly of The Oklahoman, was hired as editor overseeing both news and opinion content.^[44]

Funding[link]

The Washington Times has lost money every year that it has been in business. By 2002, the Unification Church had spent about $1.7 billion subsidizing the Times.^[45] In 2003, The New Yorker reported that a billion dollars had been spent since the paper's inception, as Moon himself had noted in a 1991 speech, "Literally nine hundred million to one billion dollars has been spent to activate and run the Washington Times".^[46] In 2002, Columbia Journalism Review suggested Moon had spent nearly $2 billion on the Times.^[21] In 2008, Thomas F. Roeser of the Chicago Daily Observer mentioned competition from the Times as a factor moving the Washington Post to the right, and said that Moon had "announced he will spend as many future billions as is needed to keep the paper competitive."^[47]

Political leanings[link]

The political views of The Washington Times are often described as conservative.^[48][49][50] The Washington Post reported: "the Times was established by Moon to combat communism and be a conservative alternative to what he perceived as the liberal bias of The Washington Post."^[5]

Conservative commentator Paul Weyrich has called the Times an antidote to its liberal competitor:

The Washington Post became very arrogant and they just decided that they would determine what was news and what wasn't news and they wouldn't cover a lot of things that went on. And the Washington Times has forced the Post to cover a lot of things that they wouldn't cover if the Times wasn't in existence.^[51]

In 1999 the Times was criticized by the Daily Howler for misquoting vice-president Al Gore.^[52] In 2000 the Howler criticized the Times again, this time for making unsubstantiated allegations about Gore's campaign fundraising.^[53] In 2004 the Howler criticized a Times' front page story which made fun of Democratic Party presidential candidate John Kerry's vacationing in France.^[54]

Conservative-turned-liberal writer David Brock, who worked for the Times' sister publication Insight on the News, said in his 2002 book Blinded by the Right that the news writers at the Times were encouraged and rewarded for giving news stories a conservative slant. In his 2004 book The Republican Noise Machine, Brock wrote "the Washington Times was governed by a calculatedly unfair political bias" and that its journalistic ethics were "close to nil."^[55]

In 2007, the liberal Mother Jones news magazine said that the Times had become "essential reading for political news junkies" soon after its founding, and quoted James Gavin, special assistant to Bo Hi Pak:

We're trying to combat communism and we're trying to uphold traditional Judeo-Christian values. The Washington Times is standing up for those values and fighting anything that would tear them down. Causa is doing the same thing, by explaining what the enemy is trying to do.^[56]

In a 2008 essay published in Harper's Magazine, historian Thomas Frank linked the Times to the modern American conservative movement, saying:

There is even a daily newspaper—the Washington Times—published strictly for the movement’s benefit, a propaganda sheet whose distortions are so obvious and so alien that it puts one in mind of those official party organs one encounters when traveling in authoritarian countries.^[57]

In 2009 the New York Times reported:

With its conservative editorial bent, the paper also became a crucial training ground for many rising conservative journalists and a must-read for those in the movement. A veritable who’s who of conservatives — Tony Blankley, Frank J. Gaffney Jr., Larry Kudlow, John Podhoretz and Tony Snow — has churned out copy for its pages.^[35]

The Times has generally opposed gay and transgender rights.^[58] In 2010, the Times published an editorial opposing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act because it granted legal protective status for transgender people.^[59][60][61] The editorial criticized transgender people and said that gender identity can be a choice, not an innate characteristic.^[59]

Notable current and former writers[link]

News

• George Archibald (Congressional, political, United Nations, and education reporter)
• Jeffrey H. Birnbaum (Managing editor, WashingtonTimes.com)
• Stephen Dinan (Immigration and political reporter)
• Bill Gertz (Defense and foreign policy reporter)
• Ralph Z. Hallow (Political reporter)
• Donald Lambro Political reporter)
• John McCaslin ("Inside the Beltway" columnist)
• Jerry Seper (Investigative reporter)

Opinion

• Brett M. Decker
• David Mastio
• Richard Diamond
• James S. Robbins
• Frank Perley
• Kerry Picket
• Frank Gaffney
• Lawrence Kudlow
• Jeffrey Kuhner
• Larry Moffitt
• Steve Bradley

Sports

• Dan Daly (columnist)
• Dick Heller (columnist)
• Tom Knott (columnist)
• Thom Loverro (columnist)

Computers

• Mark Kellner

Metro

• Gary Emerling (D.C. Reporter)
• Adrienne T. Washington (columnist)
• Tom Knott (columnist)
• Fred Reed (police beat, later took on a broader purview)

Former

• David Brooks (journalist)
• Dave Fay (deceased)
• Samuel T. Francis (deceased)
• Jeremiah O'Leary (deceased)
• Rob Redding (journalist and talk host)
• Bill Sammon
• Rowan Scarborough
• James G. Lakely
• Wes Johnson (Cartoonist, Martini 'n Clyde - 1990-1992)

Executives, editors and managers, present and past[link]

President[link]

• Dong Moon Joo

Editors-in-chief[link]

• James R. Whelan (1982–1984)
• Smith Hempstone (1984–86)
• Arnaud de Borchgrave (1986–1992); currently editor-at-large
• Wesley Pruden (1992–2008)
• John F. Solomon (2008–2009)
• Sam Dealey (2010-2010)
• Ed Kelley (2011- )

Managing Editors[link]

• Coit Taylor Hendley Jr. (1982–1985)
• Josette Sheeran Shiner (1992–1997)
• William Giles (1997–2002)
• Fran Coombs (2002–2008)
• David W. Jones (2008–present)

Editorial Page Editors[link]

• Ann Crutcher (1982–1984)
• William P. Cheshire (1984–1987)
• Tony Snow (1987–1990)
• Tony Blankley (2002–2007)
• Brett M. Decker (2010–present)

Others[link]

• Daniel Wattenberg - Arts and Entertainment Editor

See also[link]

District of Columbia portal

• Media in Washington, D.C.
• Washington Times-Herald Washington DC newspaper founded in 1893 by William Randolph Hearst.
• Washington Times-Herald (Indiana) Washington, Indiana newspaper.

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Washington Times official website
• Fear and Loathing on the Potomac: The Washington Times at Twenty, Wesley Pruden, Heritage Lecture No 757, August 15, 2002.
• Defending Dixie: The Washington Times has always been conservative and error-prone -- now it's helping to popularize extremist ideas, Heidi Beirich and Bob Moser, Intelligence Report, Southern Poverty Law Center, undated.

This biographical article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2011)

Jeffrey Thomas Kuhner (born September 1, 1969) is a radio host, commentator, and was an editor of Insight on the News. He is a regular contributor to the commentary pages of The Washington Times, where he writes a weekly column, and has written for Human Events, National Review Online and Investor's Business Daily.^[1] He is also the president of the Edmund Burke Institute for American Renewal, a Washington D.C. think tank devoted to integrating minorities into the conservative movement. The Institute produces a monthly magazine, Reflections, to which he regularly contributes. He is also a radio personality, appearing often as a guest or fill-in host of the Savage Nation and the Jerry Doyle Show.

Life and career[link]

Kuhner was born in Montreal, Canada to Croatian immigrant parents. After teaching US history from 1998 to 2000 at McGill University in Montreal, Kuhner worked from 2000 through 2003 as an assistant national editor at the Washington Times. After leaving the Washington Times, he worked for the Republican policy group the Ripon Society as communications director and editor of the Ripon Forum. He was the editor of the US Internet news magazine Insight on the News from October 2005 until its closing in May 2008.^[2]

From January 2008 to November 2009 he was media editor for the Washington Times. As media editor he helped with the partnership between the Washington Times and Talk Radio Network. The partnership resulted in the nationally syndicated radio show "America's Morning News". Kuhner began his weekly column at The Washington Times in June 2008.

Radio career[link]

In November 2009, Kuhner became the host of "The Kühner Show", a talk radio show on 570 WTNT which broadcast in the Washington DC metro area. As of September 2010, WTNT was purchased and converted to a sports talk channel and is now known as Sportstalk 570, which is owned by ESPN. The Kuhner Show was canceled along with all of the other previously scheduled programming. Kuhner has announced on his website that he is making plans to start a new show in the future and at the present is fill-in host of the Savage Nation.^[3]

References[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jeffrey T. Kuhner

William T. "Bill" Bolling (born June 15, 1957) is the 39th and current Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Running as a Republican, he was elected twice to the position by defeating his Democratic opponent in both the 2005 and 2009 general elections. He is the first Lieutenant Governor in the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve two consecutive terms since Don Beyer. In addition, he currently serves in Governor Bob McDonnell's cabinet as the Chief Jobs Creation Officer.

Early life, education, and early career[link]

Bolling was born in Sistersville, West Virginia in 1957. He was raised in the coal fields of southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia. He graduated from the University of Charleston (West Virginia) in 1978 with a B.S. degree in Political Science and was the first member of his family to graduate from college.

Hanover County Board of Supervisors[link]

Bolling first ran for elected office in 1991 for a position on the Hanover County Board of Supervisors. Bolling won that office and served as a member of the Board until 1995. While a member, Bolling also served as the Chairman of the Board of supervisors.

Virginia Senate[link]

Elections[link]

Bolling delivering the keynote address at the 2003 Virginia Mining Institute Safety Day

In 1995, Bolling was elected to the Senate of Virginia as a member of the in a highly contested political campaign against twenty year Democrat incumbent, Elmo G. Cross, Jr. Bolling represented Virginia's 4th District including Caroline, Essex, Hanover, King and Queen, King William, Middlesex, Spotsylvania (part) counties. Bolling was reelected to this position in 1999 and 2003 and served in the Senate of Virginia from 1996 to 2005.

Committee assignments[link]

As a member of the General Assembly, Bolling served as Chairman of the Joint Republican Caucus, the Virginia Republican Senatorial Committee, Chairman of the Senate's sub-committee on Health Care, the Commission on the Future of Virginia's Environment, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission.

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia[link]

Elections[link]

In 2005, Bolling ran for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. In the Republican primary, he defeated Sean Connaughton with 58% of the vote.^[2] In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee and State Senator Leslie Larkin Byrne 50%-49%.^[3] He won even though Republican nominee for Governor Jerry Kilgore lost the 2005 gubernatorial election.

In 2009, Bolling ran for re-election. He defeated Democratic nominee Jody Wagner with 57% of the vote.^[4] He underperformed Republican nominee for Governor Bob McDonnell, who won the 2009 gubernatorial election with 59% of the vote.

Tenure[link]

Kaine administration[link]

He was inaugurated as Lieutenant Governor on January 14, 2006 in Williamsburg, Virginia, along with the other Executive Branch officers, including Democratic Governor Tim Kaine and Republican Attorney General Bob McDonnell. Upon his re-election in 2009, Bolling became the first Lieutenant Governor since Don Beyer to be elected to two consecutive terms.^{[citation needed]}

As Lieutenant Governor, Bolling leveraged the Office of the Lieutenant Governor as a podium to promote a number of programs and initiatives focused on the quality of life and health care in Virginia. Bolling promoted multiple programs including his September program focused on encouraging a healthy and active life, his Ending Cervical Cancer in our Lifetime program focused on raising awareness about Cervical Cancer and HPV, and his Helping Virginians Breathe Easier campaign focused on asthma awareness.

Also as Lieutenant Governor, Bolling put forth a statewide initiative, "100 Ideas for the Future of Virginia". This two year program focused on reaching out to the public for feedback and ideas through a series of town hall meetings, mailings, and an integrated web site. This program focused on promoting feedback from the people of Virginia to develop a long term strategy for addressing issues like education, transportation, public safety, health care, protecting the environment, reforming government, and more.

McDonnell administration[link]

He was one of newly elected Governor McDonnell's first cabinet members, and was appointed as Chief Jobs Creation Officer; the first job czar. Regarding creation of the position, McDonnell stated, "I'm going to turn him into the busiest lieutenant governor in the nation."^{[citation needed]}

2012 presidential campaign[link]

On August 1, 2011, Mitt Romney named Bolling state chairman of Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.^[5]

Political positions[link]

Renewable energy[link]

• On March 22, 2010, Bolling announced $10 million in rebates for home owners and small businesses to reduce energy costs and to increase usage of solar panels.^[6]
• On June 17, 2010, Bolling announced $800,000 from the Virginia government to James Madison University to further research in wind energy, including "turbine testing, research and curriculum"^[7]

Gun control[link]

• The National Rifle Association endorses Bolling in his first bid for Lieutenant Governor in 2005,^[8] and then again for re-election in 2009^[9]

Personal life[link]

He is married to Jean Ann Kincaid, whom he met in college. They have two children. Matthew Bolling graduated from Virginia Tech in Computer Engineering and Computer Science. Kevin graduated from James Madison University.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Senate of Virginia: Bill Bolling
• Official website
• Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

v t e Lieutenant Governors of Virginia Leake McComas Jackson Montague S Price Cowper Lewis Marye Withers Thomas Walker Lewis Massey Tyler Kent Echols Willard Ellyson Buchanan West J Price Holt Tuck Collins Stephens Godwin Pollard Reynolds Howell Dalton Robb Davis Wilder Beyer Hager Kaine Bolling

Atifete Jahjaga Her Excellency
President of Kosovo
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 April 2011
Prime Minister	Hashim Thaçi
Preceded by	Jakup Krasniqi (Acting)
Personal details
Born	(1975-04-20) 20 April 1975 (age 37) Đakovica, Yugoslavia (now Kosovo)
Political party	Independent
Spouse(s)	Astrit Kuçi
Alma mater	University of Pristina University of Leicester George Marshall European Center for Security Studies Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy

Atifete Jahjaga (Albanian pronunciation: [ätɪˈfeːtɛ jähˈjɑːɡä]; born 20 April 1975) is the fourth President of Kosovo. She is the first female, the first non-partisan candidate, and the youngest to be elected to the office. She is also the first female head of state in modern Balkans. She served as Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police,^[1] holding the rank of General Major,^[2] the highest among women in Southeastern Europe.^[3]

Early life and education[link]

Jahjaga was born in Đakovica where she attended primary and secondary school. She graduated from the University of Pristina Faculty of Law in 2000. In 2006/07, she attended a graduate certificate program in police management and criminal law at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. She has also received extensive professional training at the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies in Germany and the FBI National Academy in the United States.

Police career[link]

After the Kosovo War, Jahjaga began working as an interpreter for the international police. Later on, she completed training to become an officer and gradually sought promotion to higher ranks, initially to major, then colonel, and finally general major. She was first deployed with the border police and then transferred to the training department.

Jahjaga held the position of deputy director of the Kosovo Police, and briefly filled in as acting general director in 2010. While serving as police officer, she drew the attention of American officers and diplomats who presented her before senior U.S. officials on special occasions. Her pictures with U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to the FBI National Academy and with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to Kosovo were among the few distributed through the internet before she was placed on the national spotlight as a presidential candidate.

President of Kosovo[link]

Seal of the President of Kosovo

On 6 April 2011, she was announced as a consensual candidate for president of Kosovo by the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Democratic League of Kosovo and New Kosovo Alliance,^[4] and supported by the US Ambassador in Kosovo, Christopher Dell.^[5][6] Although she enjoyed a reputation as a police commander, she came out of relative obscurity as a candidate for the high office of the state^{[clarification needed]}, with most of the public and political leaders unaware of her political leanings.

On 7 April, she was elected President on the first round of voting by the Parliament; of 100 MPs present, 80 voted for Jahjaga and 10 cast a ballot for Suzan Novoberdali.^[7] To date, she is the only president to be elected on the first round of voting. Only Kosovo's 1st President Ibrahim Rugova has received more votes, being appointed by the Parliament by a 88-3 vote in 2002,^[8] in the third round and winning by a landslide in direct presidential elections in 1992 and 1998.

In her inaugural address, Jahjaga stated that one of her main goals as President is to secure Kosovo's membership in the European Union and the United Nations. "The ideal of all Kosovo is membership in the EU and a permanent friendship with the United States. I believe and I am convinced our dreams will come true," she said in her first speech to the Parliament.^[9]

Personal life[link]

Atifete Jahjaga is married to Astrit Kuçi, a dentist, and has no children.^[3] Media reports have stressed that neither she nor her husband own real estate and that they rent a modest apartment in Pristina.^[10]

Notes[link]

References[link]