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Talat Xhaferi

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Talat Xhaferi
Талат Џафери
Official portrait, 2024
12th Prime Minister of North Macedonia (Technical)
In office
28 January 2024 – 23 June 2024
PresidentStevo Pendarovski
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
Preceded byDimitar Kovačevski
Succeeded byHristijan Mickoski
President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia
In office
27 April 2017 – 25 January 2024
Prime MinisterEmil Dimitriev (acting)
Zoran Zaev
Oliver Spasovski
Zoran Zaev
Dimitar Kovačevski
Preceded byTrajko Veljanovski
Succeeded byJovan Mitreski
Minister of Defense
In office
18 February 2013 – 19 June 2014
Prime MinisterNikola Gruevski
Preceded byFatmir Besimi
Succeeded byZoran Jolevski
Personal details
Born
Talat Xhaferi

(1962-04-15) 15 April 1962 (age 62)
Forino, PR Macedonia, Yugoslavia
(now North Macedonia)
Political partyDemocratic Union for Integration
SpouseMereme
Alma materBelgrade Military Academy
OccupationPolitician
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Army of Macedonia
National Liberation Army (NLA)

Talat Xhaferi (Macedonian: Талат Џафери; born 15 April 1962) is a Macedonian politician who served as Prime Minister of North Macedonia from January to June 2024. He previously served as the President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia from 2017 to 2024 and as Minister of Defense from 2013 to 2014. He was the first ethnic Albanian to have served as prime minister since the independence and statehood of North Macedonia.

Early life and military career

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Xhaferi, an ethnic Albanian, was born on 15 April 1962 in the village of Forino near Gostivar, PR Macedonia, FPR Yugoslavia. He attended primary school in the nearby village of Čegrane and continued his secondary education at the Military High School in Belgrade. He studied at the Military Academy of the Land Army Infantry of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in Belgrade and Sarajevo. Later in his career he specialized in command and staff duties at the General Mihailo Apostolski Military Academy in Skopje. In 2013, he obtained a master's degree in defense.[1]

From 1985 to 1991, Xhaferi was a JNA officer, and from 1992 to 2001 an officer of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM).[2]

2001 insurgency

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During the 2001 insurgency, in which ethnic Albanian militants attacked security forces, Xhaferi was at first a senior officer in the ARM, commanding troops in the Tetovo barracks.

On 28 April, the day of the Vejce massacre, he was on duty as commander at the barracks.[3] Several days later he deserted and joined the National Liberation Army (NLA), an Albanian guerrilla group fighting against the Republic of Macedonia, and became its commander of the 116th Brigade, earning the pseudonym Komandant Forina after his birthplace.[4] He was later amnestied, in accordance with the 2001 Ohrid Agreement.[2]

Political career

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Xhaferi was first elected to the Macedonian parliament in 2002 for the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), which was formed that year by members of the dissolved NLA. From 2004 to 2006 Xhaferi was Deputy Minister of Defence.[2] From 2008 to 2013, he was a member of parliament from DUI, allied with the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party. In 2012, he became known for his marathon speeches used as a filibuster tactic to blocking the adoption of a law on veterans that would have granted benefits to Macedonian war veterans. He blocked the draft at commission level by "reading poetry, citing foreign literature and reports on Macedonia, mumbling or simply remaining silent, waiting for the time to pass".[2]

In 2013, Xhaferi was nominated by DUI for Minister of Defense in the Cabinet of Nikola Gruevski, after the resignation of Fatmir Besimi. The appointment of Xhaferi triggered protests by Macedonian[5][6] (in particular retired general Stojanče Angelov of the pro-veteran Dignity opposition party)[2] and Albanian citizens.[7] Xhaferi stated that his goal was to make the armed forces “a symbol of coexistence, tolerance and respect for differences”.[2]

On 26 November 2019, an earthquake struck Albania. Xhaferi was part of a delegation of ethnically Albanian politicians from North Macedonia visiting the earthquake epicenter that expressed their condolences to Albanian president Ilir Meta.[8]

President of the Assembly

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Xhaferi meets with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Skopje, 29 October 2023

In April 2017, Xhaferi was elected President of the Macedonian parliament, supported by a coalition of Albanian national parties and the opposition social-democratic SDSM party, sparking riots in the parliament building.[9] The VMRO-DPMNE party labeled this move as a coup.[10] Subsequently, demonstrators broke into the parliament building, beating journalists and MPs, and had to be cleared by the police.[9][11]

Premiership

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On 25 January 2024, Xhaferi resigned following the resignations of the government of Dimitar Kovačevski, in preparation to be elected as the president of a technical government which, in accordance with the Pržino Agreement, will lead the country in the 100 days prior to the parliamentary elections scheduled for 8 May.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Собрание на Република Северна Македонија - Демократска унија за интеграција". www.sobranie.mk. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Dimovski, Sase (22 February 2013). "Talat Xhaferi: Macedonia's Controversial Defence Chief". Balkan Insight (BIRN). Archived from the original on 1 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Ангелов: Талат Џафери да каже зошто по масакрот кај Вејце, дезертирал од АРМ" [Angelov: Talat Xhaferi should explain why after the massacre of Vejce, he left ARM] (in Macedonian). Инфо ( Здружение на граѓани за одбрана на слободата на говорот и на јавното изразување [Citizens' Association for the Defense of Freedom of Speech and Public Expression]). 28 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Груевски го предложи Командант Форина од УЧК за прв човек на македонската одбрана" [Gruevski proposed Commandant Forrina from UCK as the head of Macedonian defense] (in Macedonian). Кирилица. 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013.
  5. ^ Deutsche Welle (in Macedonian)
  6. ^ koha.net (in Albanian)
  7. ^ AP (in English)[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ "Meta në Durrës me Talat Xhaferrin dhe Ali Ahmetin: Nuk do e harrojmë kurrë ndihmën tuaj" (in Albanian). ABC News. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  9. ^ a b Hopkins, Valerie (28 April 2017). "What Happened in Macedonia, and Why". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  10. ^ "V makedonski parlament vdrli protestniki, poslanci vzklikali: To je puč!" [Demonstrators protest in the Macedonian Parliament, outcry: It's a coup!] (in Slovenian). 24ur.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017.
  11. ^ Testorides, Konstantin (27 April 2017). "Protesters attack Macedonian lawmakers over leadership vote, dozens injured". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 29 April 2017.
  12. ^ "Талат Џафери: Имаме обврска да обезбедиме фер избори – DW – 25.01.2024". dw.com (in Macedonian). Retrieved 2024-01-25.
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Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of North Macedonia
2024 		Succeeded by
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