Xhelil

Gjoni (Gjonaj) Gjon (definite form: ''Gjoni'') is an Albanian male given name, clan, surname and onomastic element. As given name Etymology and history ''Gjon'' as a given name is a form of the English name John. It is the name of the apostle Saint John in ...

(born 1938) is a former

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

n politician of the Albanian Party of Labour (PPSh) and journalist.

Life

Gjoni was born on 3 November 1938 in

Maqellarë Maqellarë ( mk, Макелари/''Makelari'' or Макеларе/''Makelare'') is a village and a former municipality in the Dibër County, northeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dib ...

Dibër District Dibër District ( sq, Rrethi i Dibrës) was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 counties. It had a population of 86,144 in 2001, and an area of . It is in the northeast of the country, and i ...

. He took his first studies in his home town, and during 1952-1956 followed the Pedagogical School in

Peshkopi Peshkopi ( sq-definite, Peshkopia, Latin: ''Penestae'') is a town in Dibër County, northeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dibër. The population at the 2011 census was 13,251.

. During 1956-1961 he resided in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, where he studied philosophy in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

and

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. After returning to Albania in 1961, he started working for the ''

Zëri i Popullit ''Zëri i Popullit'' ( en, Voice of the People) is an Albanian online newspaper. It was the official press organ of the Party of Labour and, later, of the Socialist Party of Albania, but it later ceased print publication and became an independe ...

'' newspaper. He would remain there for 17 years, transgressing from a journalist, to manager-editor, later vice editor-in-chief, and finally Chief Editor.
In 1975 he served as Secretary of the Party for Propaganda in Tirana. In December 1984, he took over as First Secretary of the Party for Krujë District. He would follow a similar position in his native

during 1987-1990. In August 1990, he would reach the top of his political career. Gjoni took over as Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, at the same time First Secretary of the Party in Tirana. He held this positions until the 10th and last Congress of PPSh. During the

collapse of communism The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Natio ...

, Gjoni became in July 1990

Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania The Politburo was the leading organ of the Party of Labour of Albania. It comprised key government ministers and Central Committee secretaries and served as the main administrative and policy-making body, convening on a weekly basis. The followin ...

. He is remembered as arrogant, brutal, and a man of scandals. Apparently was chosen from

Ramiz Alia Ramiz Tafë Alia (; 18 October 1925 – 7 October 2011) 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 Alban ...

in a very delicate moment as a "strong hand". He was also a representative in the National Assembly (''Kuvendi Popullor'') during the 12th

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

between 1991 and 1992. During this time he served on the governing board of the Socialist Party of Albania (Alb: ''Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë''), the successor organization to the PPSh. His son

Ilir Gjoni Ilir Gjoni (born 20 April 1962) is an Albanian politician. He served as the Minister of Defence of Albania from 7 July 2000 to 8 November 2000, and Minister of Internal Affairs from 8 November 2000 to 22 February 2002. He was appointed interior ...

was occasionally Internal Affairs and Defense Minister of Albania in the governments of Prime Minister Ilir Meta.

References

External links

* Geschichte der Volksversammlung, S. 156
Politbüro und Sekretariat des ZK der PPSh 1948-1991
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gjoni, Xhelil 1938 births Labour Party of Albania politicians Members of the Parliament of Albania Living people Albanian communists Socialist Party of Albania politicians People from Dibër (municipality) Albanian journalists