Albanian President: long road to democracy

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:54

How unpleasant it is for the Albanians, but their homeland has always been, as it were, on the sidelines of history and geopolitics. However, the very "biography" of this state can hardly be called calm. Boiling passions do not contribute to the democratic system, the hallmark of which is considered to be the institution of the presidency. In Albania, the presidency appeared only in the last decade of the last century.

In the snares of slavery

Shkiparez (self-name of Albania in Albanian) for centuries did not have its own statehood. Except, of course, ancient Illyria, conquered by Rome. Further, if there were any state formations, they could hardly be called independent. The power of Rome, then the Byzantine Empire, the post-Byzantine city-states, then the Serbian and Bulgarian principalities and kingdoms, then the subjugation of Venice and, it would seem, the eternal yoke of the Ottoman Empire. What kind of democracy is this?

The beginnings of democracy

However, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire as a result of the defeat in the First World War madepossible actually peaceful liberation of the country. In fact, the first leader of Albania in 1912 was Ismail Qemali, who made a political and administrative career back in the Ottoman Empire. He did not have the title of president, but in fact he was, acting as prime minister during the transitional period.

President-King

As a result of the first democratic elections, Ahmet Zogu became the first president of Albania. A representative of the Albanian elite, in whose veins the blue blood of the semi-legendary hero of Albania, Shkenderbey, flowed. Shkenderbey himself did not have a throne, but, apparently, his blood turned the head of a descendant who considered that the monarchy in his person would be good for Albania. With the help of Russian White Guard officers, the first president carried out a military coup and became the first and only king of the Albanians. Nevertheless, the activity of Zog the First is assessed positively. Domestic political squabbling in the country decreased, a clear development program was formed, which was carried out. Alas, the Albanian monarchy ended with the Italian occupation.

Communists in power

During the Second World War, the Communist Party of Albania became the most active and active political force in the country. It was she who formed partisan detachments, which gradually acquired an army structure. With the expulsion of the Italians and the Germans who came to hold the position of Italy that had left the war, the communists naturally came to power in the country. The conflict with the Soviet Union forced the Communist Party to change its name to the Labor Party, whose leaderthe title of President of the National Assembly became the head of state. There were only three of them. The first two are very respected people. Moreover, the second - Khadzhi Lesha - went from a National Hero to a life sentence for crimes against humanity, as he became a kind of Soviet Beria (in the photo below Lesha among his comrades).

The third - Ramiz Aliya - was also the first president of democratic Albania and in itself was an attempt by the communist socialists to stay in power.

In search of harmony

The difficult economic and social situation in Albania does not allow the country to find a balance in everything. After serious unrest in the country, which led to a change in political course, presidents change each other, mostly alternating in the order "democrat - socialist". Neither the right nor the left can fully establish life in the country. Now the representative of the moderate socialist party is in power.

List of Presidents

Name	Years of life	Reign time	Party	Pre-presidential and post-presidential careers
Ahmet Zogu	10/8/1895 – 04/9/1961	1925-1928	Non-partisan with monarchist views	Before: Governor of the city of Mati, Governor of Shkoder, Minister of the Interior of Albania, Minister of War of Albania, Prime Minister of Albania. After: made a military coup and usurped power with the title of king of the Albanians.
Ramiz Alia	1925-18-10 – 10/7/2011	1991-92	Socialist Party	Before: Third Chairman of the People's Assembly of Albania, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Albanian Labor Party.
Sali Berisha	1944-15-10	1992-97	Democratic Party	Before: Head of the Democratic Party. After: Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Albania
Recep Meidani	17.08.1944	1997-2002	Socialist Party	Before: Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Head of the Central Electoral Commission, Member of the Presidential Council, Chairman of the Albanian Human Rights Council, General Secretary of the Socialist Party.
Alfred Moisiu	1.12.1929	2002-07	Democratic Party	Before: Deputy Minister of Defense of Albania, Minister of Defense of Albania, Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Albania, President of the pro-war bloc of the Albanian-North Atlantic Association. After: Member of the European Council for Tolerance and Mutual Respect
Bamir Topi	24.04.1957	2007-12	Democratic Party	Before: Minister of Agriculture and Food of Albania, Member of the Assembly of Albania, Vice Chairman of the Democratic Party, Honorary President of Tirana Football Club.
Buyar Nishani	29.09.1966	2012-17	Democratic Party	Before: Albanian Minister of the Interior, Albanian Minister of Justice.
Ilir Meta	24.03.1969	since 2017	Socialist Integration Movement	Before: Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Albania, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania, Speaker of the People's Assembly of Albania, founder and leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration party.

Residence

The residence of the President of Albania is located in the capital Tirana.

Before democratic times, the functions of the head of Albania, as an independent state, were performed by the following people.

Prime Minister Acting Head of Albania

Name	Years of life	Reign time	Party	Career (before and after)
Ismail Qemali	16.01.1844 – 24.01.1919	1912 – 14	Unaffiliated	Before: Governor of several Ottoman Balkan cities, Governor of Beirut, Chairman of the Ottoman National Assembly, initiator of the Albanian Declaration of Independence.

King of Albanians

Name	Years of life	Reign time	Party	Career (before and after)
Zog I (Ahmet Zogu)	10/8/1895 – 04/9/1961	1928 – 39	Unaffiliated	Before: see presidents.

Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly of Albania (socialist period)

Name	Years of life	Reign time	Party	Career (before and after)
Omer Nishani	5.02.1887 –26.05.1954	1946-53	Albanian Labor Party	Before: head of the Anti-Fascist Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania.
Hadji Leshi	1913-19-10 – 01/1/1998	1953-82	Albanian Labor Party	Before: Commander of the National Liberation Army of Albania, awarded the title of People's Hero, Minister of the Interior of Albania. After: sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity, released for he alth reasons.
Ramiz Alia	1925-18-10 – 10/7/2011	1982-1991	Albanian Labor Party	See in presidents.

Ilir Meta is President of Albania now

On July 24, 2017, after the regular democratic parliamentary elections (presidential elections in Albania are not popular - only members of parliament have such a right), Ilir Meta took the presidential oath.

Who is Meta? The answer is in a big interview on the TV channel "Russia 24".

President of Albania (pictured below) Meta is an experienced state functionary with extensive connections.

Has a good economic education. When he was a teacher, he lectured at leading universities in the world - such as Harvard University and the London School of Economics. Fluent in Italian and English. Married, has a son and two daughters, as well as the hope of the entire Albanian people that hewill become the first president of the country who manages to bring Albania out of the eternal crisis.