![]() |
---|
![]() ![]() |
This is a list of heads of state of Albania who have served since the Declaration of Independence of 1912.
Since the collapse of the communist regime in 1991, the head of state of Albania is the president of the republic (Albanian : Presidenti i Republikës). The president is indirectly elected to a five-year term and is limited to a maximum of two terms, as specified by the Constitution. As in most parliamentary systems, the president is now by-and-large a ceremonial office, with the prime minister de facto heading the executive branch. [1]
No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Title | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Ismail Qemali (1844–1919) ![]() | 28 November 1912 | 22 January 1914 | 1 year, 55 days | Chairman of the Provisional Government | Independent |
2 | ![]() | Fejzi Alizoti (1874–1945) ![]() | 22 January 1914 | 7 March 1914 | 44 days | Chairman of the Central Administration | Independent |
No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Title | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
— | ![]() | Esad Toptani (1863–1920) ![]() | 12 October 1913 | 12 February 1914 | 123 days | Chairman of the Opposition Council of the Elders of Central Albania | Independent |
No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Title | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | ![]() | Wilhelm I (1876–1945) ![]() | 7 March 1914 | 3 September 1914 | 180 days | Prince of Albania | House of Wied-Neuwied |
— | ![]() | Mustafa Ndroqi (????–????) | 23 September 1914 | 4 October 1914 | 11 days | Chairman of the First General Council | Independent |
4 | ![]() | Esad Toptani (1863–1920) ![]() | 5 October 1914 | 24 February 1916 | 1 year, 142 days | Chairman of the Provisional Government | Independent |
Austro-Hungarian Command (23 January 1916 – 30 October 1918) | |||||||
5 | ![]() | Turhan Përmeti (1839–1927) ![]() | 28 December 1918 | 28 January 1920 | 1 year, 31 days | Chairman of the Provisional Government | Independent |
— | ![]() | Sulejman Delvina (1884–1933) ![]() | 28 January 1920 | 30 January 1920 | 2 days | Chairman of the Provisional Government | Independent |
High Council of Regency (30 January 1920 – 31 January 1925) | |||||||
6 | ![]() | Fan Noli (1882–1965) ![]() | 2 July 1924 | 24 December 1924 | 175 days | Head of state in place of the High Council | People's Party |
No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Title | Election | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | ![]() | Ahmet Zogu (1895–1961) ![]() | 31 January 1925 | 1 September 1928 | 3 years, 213 days | President of Albania | 1925 | Conservative Party |
No. | Portrait | Name | Reign | Title | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(7) | ![]() | Zog I (1895–1961) ![]() | 1 September 1928 | 7 April 1939 | 10 years, 218 days | King of the Albanians | House of Zogu |
No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Title | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
― | ![]() | Xhafer Ypi (1880–1940) ![]() | 9 April 1939 | 12 April 1939 | 3 days | Chairman of the Provisional Administration Committee | Fascist Party |
― | ![]() | Shefqet Vërlaci (1877–1946) ![]() | 12 April 1939 | 16 April 1939 | 4 days | Chairman of the Provisional Administration Committee | Fascist Party |
9 | ![]() | Victor Emmanuel III (1869–1947) ![]() | 16 April 1939 | 8 September 1943 | 4 years, 145 days | King of the Albanians | House of Savoy |
No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Title | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | ![]() | Ibrahim Biçaku (1905–1977) ![]() | 14 September 1943 | 20 October 1943 | 36 days | Chairman of the Provisional Executive Committee | Balli Kombëtar |
11 | ![]() | Mehdi Frashëri (1872–1963) ![]() | 20 October 1943 | 25 October 1944 | 1 year, 5 days | Chairman of the Provisional Administration Committee | Balli Kombëtar |
No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Title | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | ![]() | Omer Nishani (1887–1954) ![]() | 26 May 1944 | 1 August 1953 | 9 years, 67 days | Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly of Albania | Communist Party renamed in 1948 to Party of Labour |
13 | ![]() | Haxhi Lleshi (1913–1998) ![]() | 1 August 1953 | 22 November 1982 | 29 years, 113 days | Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly of Albania | Party of Labour |
14 | ![]() | Ramiz Alia (1925–2011) ![]() | 22 November 1982 | 3 April 1992 | 9 years, 133 days | Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly of Albania | Party of Labour |
No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Title | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
― | ![]() | Enver Hoxha (1908–1985) ![]() | 20 October 1944 | 11 April 1985 † | 40 years, 173 days | First Secretary of the Communist Party / Party of Labour of Albania | Communist Party renamed in 1948 to Party of Labour |
― | ![]() | Ramiz Alia (1925–2011) ![]() | 13 April 1985 | 13 June 1991 | 6 years, 21 days | First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania | Party of Labour |
No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Title | Election | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(14) | ![]() | Ramiz Alia (1925–2011) ![]() | 30 April 1991 | 3 April 1992 | 339 days | President of Albania | 1991 | Party of Labour |
― | ![]() | Kastriot Islami (born 1952) ![]() | 3 April 1992 | 6 April 1992 | 3 days | Speaker of the Parliament | ― | Socialist Party |
― | ![]() | Pjetër Arbnori (1935–2006) ![]() | 6 April 1992 | 9 April 1992 | 3 days | Speaker of the Parliament | ― | Democratic Party |
15 | ![]() | Sali Berisha (born 1944) ![]() | 9 April 1992 | 24 July 1997 | 5 years, 106 days | President of Albania | 1992 | Democratic Party |
― | ![]() | Skënder Gjinushi (born 1949) ![]() | 24 July 1997 | 0 days | Speaker of the Parliament | ― | Socialist Party | |
16 | ![]() | Rexhep Meidani (born 1944) ![]() | 24 July 1997 | 24 July 2002 | 5 years | President of Albania | 1997 | Socialist Party |
9 | ![]() | Alfred Moisiu (born 1929) ![]() | 24 July 2002 | 24 July 2007 | 5 years | President of Albania | 2002 | Independent |
17 | ![]() | Bamir Topi (born 1957) ![]() | 24 July 2007 | 24 July 2012 | 5 years | President of Albania | 2007 | Democratic Party |
18 | ![]() | Bujar Nishani (1966–2022) ![]() | 24 July 2012 | 24 July 2017 | 5 years | President of Albania | 2012 | Democratic Party |
19 | ![]() | Ilir Meta (born 1969) ![]() | 24 July 2017 | 24 July 2022 | 5 years | President of Albania | 2017 | Socialist Movement for Integration |
20 | ![]() | Bajram Begaj (born 1967) ![]() | 24 July 2022 | Incumbent | 1 year, 297 days | President of Albania | 2022 | Independent |
Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, in which the president of Albania is the head of state and the prime minister of Albania is the head of government in a multi-party system. The executive power is exercised by the Government and the prime minister with its Cabinet. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament of Albania. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The political system of Albania is laid out in the 1998 constitution. The Parliament adopted the current constitution on 28 November 1998. Historically Albania has had many constitutions. Initially constituted as a monarchy in 1913, Albania became briefly a republic in 1925, and then a authoritarian monarchy in 1928. In 1939 Albania was invaded by Fascist Italian forces, imposing a puppet state, and later occupied by Nazi German forces. Following the partisan liberation from the Nazis in 1944 a provisional government was formed, which by 1946 had transformed into a communist one-party state. In March 1991 democracy was restored with multi-party elections.
The flag of Albania depicts a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center of a red background. The red stands for bravery, strength, valour and bloodshed, while the Eagle represents the sovereign state of Albania. The flag was established as the national flag of Albania when the country gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912.
Ramiz Alia was an Albanian politician serving as the second and last leader of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania from 1985 to 1991, serving as First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania. He was also the country's head of state from 1982 to 1992. He had been seen as a successor by Enver Hoxha and took power after Hoxha died.
Sali Ram Berisha is an Albanian cardiologist and conservative politician who served as the president of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and 32nd prime minister from 2005 to 2013. Berisha serves as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania since 2022 and has held the position previously from 1990 to 2013. He also serves as the incumbent Leader of Opposition in the Albanian parliament.
The president of Albania, officially styled the President of the Republic of Albania, is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and the representative of the unity of the Albanian people.
Edi Rama is an Albanian politician, painter, writer, former university lecturer, publicist and former basketball player, who has served as the 33rd and incumbent Prime Minister of Albania since 2013 and chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania since 2005. He was appointed Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in 1998, an office he held until 2000. First elected mayor of Tirana in 2000, he was reelected in 2003 and 2007.
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
The politics of Kosovo takes place in a framework of a multi-party parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President (Presidenti) is the head of state and the Prime Minister (Kryeministri) the head of government. Parliamentary elections are held every four years, the most recent in 2021.
The prime minister of North Macedonia, officially the President of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, is the head of government of North Macedonia.
The present Constitution of the Republic of Albania was adopted by the Parliament of Albania on 21 October 1998 and certified by presidential decree on 28 November 1998, following a public referendum which approved the new Constitution. It is split up over many different acts. The document succeeded the 1976 Constitution, originally adopted at the creation of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania on 28 December 1976 and heavily amended on 29 April 1991.
The Albanian Republic was the official name of Albania as enshrined in the Constitution of 1925. Albania came into an alliance with the Kingdom of Italy after signing the Treaties of Tirana, which gave Italy a monopoly on shipping and trade concessions. Albania was declared a constitutional monarchy in 1928. Upon its inception, Italy demanded to be allies with the republic. This was done largely to increase Italy's influence in the Balkans, and to aid Italian and Albanian security in their territorial feuds with the Second Hellenic Republic and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.
The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, commonly known as Kosovo and abbreviated to Kosmet or KiM, is an autonomous province defined by the Constitution of Serbia that occupies the southernmost part of Serbia. The territory is the subject of an ongoing political and territorial dispute between Republic of Serbia and the partially recognised Republic of Kosovo. Its claimed administrative capital and largest city is Pristina.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Albania:
The fall of communism in Albania, the last such event in Europe outside the Soviet Union, started in December 1990 with student demonstrations in the capital, Tirana, although protests started in January that year in other cities like Shkodra and Kavaja. The Central Committee of the communist Party of Labour of Albania allowed political pluralism on 11 December and the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, was founded the next day. March 1991 elections left the Party of Labour in power, but a general strike and urban opposition led to the formation of a "stability government" that included non-communists. Albania's former communists were routed in elections in March 1992 amid economic collapse and social unrest, with the Democratic Party winning most seats and its party head, Sali Berisha, becoming president.
The Council of Ministers is the executive branch that constitutes the Government of Albania. The Council is led by the Prime Minister of Albania. The prime minister is nominated by the President from among those candidates, who enjoy majority support in the Parliament; the candidate is then chosen by the Parliament. In the absence of the prime minister, the Deputy Prime Minister takes over his functions. There are 19 other government members, serving as deputy prime ministers, government ministers or both; they are chosen by the prime minister and confirmed by the Parliament.
The Ministry of Defence is a department of the Albanian Government, in charge of the formation and implementation of national security and ordering, coordinating and carrying out the general guidelines of the Cabinet about the defence policy, and is the headquarters of the Military of Albania. It is Albania's ministry of defence.
Indirect presidential elections were held in Albania on 30 May, 4, 8 and 11 June 2012, the seventh such elections since the collapse of the communist regime in 1991. The first through third rounds of voting were inconclusive. The fourth round resulted in the incumbent party's member Bujar Nishani being elected as President.
Albania and Palestine established diplomatic relations in 1990. Albania had already recognized Palestine as a state since 1988. Palestine has an embassy in Tirana, but Albania does not have an embassy in Palestine. Both are member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
A natural-born-citizen clause is a provision in some constitutions that certain officers, usually the head of state, must be "natural-born" citizens of that state, but there is no universally accepted meaning for the term natural-born. The constitutions of a number of countries contain such a clause but may define or interpret the term natural-born citizen differently. Many countries specify citizenship since birth as a requirement to hold certain offices. This is often described using the natural born phraseology and sometimes further qualified as requiring physical birth within the country's territory and/or requiring that one or both natural parents be a citizen of the country at the time of birth.