Rexhep Qemal Meidani (; born on 17 August 1944) is an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

professor, diplomat and politician. Meidani was the 4th

President of Albania The president of Albania ( sq, Presidenti i Shqipërisë), officially styled the President of the Republic of Albania ( sq, Presidenti i Republikës së Shqipërisë), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and the representa ...

from 1997 to 2002, and the second to be elected after the first multi-party elections in 1991.

Early life, education and career

He graduated from the

University of Tirana The University of Tirana ( sq, Universiteti i Tiranës, abbreviated UT) is a public university located at the central borough of Tirana 10 in Tirana, Albania. It was established as the ''State University of Tirana'' in 1957 through merging of ...

(1966), Faculty of Natural Sciences, Branch Physics, as well as successfully accomplished the postgraduate studies in the

University of Caen The University of Caen Normandy (French: ''Université de Caen Normandie''), also known as Unicaen, is a public university in Caen, France. History The institution was founded in 1432 by John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, the first rector ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) (1974). Meidani holds PhDs from University of Paris XI and the University of Tirana. With regard to the professional area, Meidani held various positions at the University of Tirana between (1966–1996) including: professor, chair of the department and later as the dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences. During this time span, Meidani published a number of studies, books and articles inside and outside of Albania. Along with

Eqrem Cabej Ekrem is a Turkish language, Turkish form of the Arabic given name Akram, meaning "kind," "generous," or "benevolent." Sometimes rendered Eqrem in Albania. Notable people with these names include: Ekrem * Ekrem Akurgal (1911–2002), Turkish ar ...

and

Nelson Cabej Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, Meidani has been considered one of the leading academics in the country. His political career began in the 1990s. He was the chair of the Central Election Commission in the first multiparty elections in 1991 and member of the Presidential Council (1991). During 1992–1996 he was engaged in the civil society by being also chair of the Board of the Albanian Center of Human Rights (1994–1996). In 1996, he joined the Socialist Party and was elected its Secretary General (1996–1997). In the anticipated parliamentary elections of June 1997, Meidani was elected member of the parliament in the

Albanian Assembly The Parliament of Albania ( sq, Kuvendi i Shqipërisë) or Kuvendi is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of the Republic of Albania; it is Albania's legislature. The Parliament is composed of no less than 140 members elected to a ...

. After the elections, won by the left coalition and headed by the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

, on 24 July 1997, with the proposal of the SP, the Albanian Assembly elected Meidani the President of Albania. Meidani served as the third President until 2002, with

Petrit Ago Petrit Ago is the former General Director of Customs of Albania and former head of Tirana taxation office. As customs director, he replaced in his new position Ardian Maci. Ago vowed to stick to the pledge of Ministry of Finance in fighting contrab ...

as his counselor. Meidani was succeeded in the presidency by

Alfred Moisiu Alfred Spiro Moisiu (; born 1 December 1929) is a former Albanian military general, diplomat and politician. He was the President of Albania from 2002 to 2007. He is the oldest son of Albanian Army general, Spiro Moisiu. Early life, education an ...

in 2002. In the 2005 Socialist Party Leadership Convention, which was to designate a successor to Fatos Nano, he was defeated by the current PS chairman

Edi Rama Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama, 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, painter, writer, former university lecturer, publicist and former basketball player, who has served as the 33rd and current Prime Minister of Albania since 2013 and chairm ...

. Meidani is currently a member of the

Club of Madrid Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 121 regular members from 72 countries, including 7 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and 20 first female heads ...

Honours

Knight Grand Cross of the

Grand Order of King Tomislav The Grand Order of King Tomislav ( hr, Velered kralja Tomislava), or officially the Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star (''Velered kralja Tomislava s lentom i Velikom Danicom''), is the highest state order of Croatia. It ...

("For outstanding contribution to the promotion of friendship and development co-operation between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Albania." – April 4, 2001) * Honorary Degree Recipient from The

American University of Rome The American University of Rome (commonly referred to as AUR) is a degree-granting American university in Rome, Italy. AUR is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in the United States and is recognized by the Italian Min ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meidani, Rexhep 1944 births Living people Albanian Sunni Muslims Politicians from Tirana University of Tirana alumni University of Caen Normandy alumni Albanian physicists Electoral commissioners of Albania Presidents of Albania Recipients of the Order of the Star of Romania Albanian socialists Albanian Muslims 20th-century Albanian scientists 21st-century Albanian scientists 20th-century Albanian politicians 21st-century Albanian politicians

Early life, education and career

Honours

See also

References