Kosovo newly elected president Vjosa Osmani Sadriu smiles after being elected in capital Pristina, Kosovo, April 4, 2021. (AP)

Kosovo lawmakers approved US-educated jurist Vjosa Osmani as president, filling the post previously held by an ex-guerrilla who stepped down last year to face charges on war crimes.

Osmani, 38, was elected Sunday with the backing of Premier Albin Kurti, whose anti-establishment Self-Determination Movement won Feb 14 elections. Both represent a new generation of leaders in the landlocked Balkan state of 1.8 million people, where politics used to be dominated by wartime leaders of the 1998-99 fight by Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority for independence from Serbia.

US-educated jurist Vjosa Osmani is Kosovo’s second female president, after Atifete Jahjaga, who completed her five-year term in 2016

Hashim Thaci, of the now-disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army, resigned as head of state in November to surrender to a special war crimes court in the Netherlands.

READ MORE: Kosovo scraps White House talks with Serbia after leader indicted

“We have now completed the establishment of our institutions and enter a new area of sustainability and prosperity,” Kurti tweeted after the vote in parliament.

One of Europe’s poorest countries, Kosovo declared independence unilaterally in 2008 and still seeks full international recognition, fighting Serbia’s refusal to accept the secession and efforts to prevent it from joining world bodies. Both countries need to resolve their disputes to qualify for membership in the European Union.

ALSO READ: Kosovo holds vote that could complicate dialogue with Serbia

Osmani previously served as the head of parliament, and as acting president after Thaci stepped down. She is Kosovo’s second female president, after Atifete Jahjaga, who completed her five-year term in 2016.