Monika Kryemadhi (born 9 April 1974) is an Albanian politician, member of Parliament and former leader of the

Socialist Movement for Integration The Freedom Party ( sq, Partia e Lirisë, PL), formerly known as the Socialist Movement for Integration (, LSI), is a social democratic political party in Albania. The party was formed on 6 September 2004, when Ilir Meta defected from the Sociali ...

party. She is also the wife of the former

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 ...

Ilir Meta Ilir Rexhep Meta (; born 24 March 1969) is an Albanian politician. He served as President of Albania from 24 July 2017 to 24 July 2022. Previously Meta served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 and he was Speaker of the Parliament of Albania f ...

. Monika Kryemadhi refused the position of

First Lady of Albania First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

—delegating the role instead to her eldest daughter, Bora.

Early life and education

She was born on April 9, 1974, in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

. In 1992, she won the right to study in the Faculty of Natural Sciences in the Bio-Chemistry branch. In 1999, she performed studies at the George Marshall Center in

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...

for regional security policies. In 2000-2002 carried out studies in the Master of Business Administration at 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 ...

, Faculty of Economy, in cooperation with the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. She has also performed other postgraduate studies and got her PhD at the Faculty of Economy of the University of Tirana. She is married to

and has three children: Bora, Besar, and Era Metaj.

Politics

Her political engagement began in 1991 when she was one of the founders of FRESSH. In January 1992 she was elected a member of the Presidency and in May of the same year, she was elected General Secretary of FRESSH's congress I and II. She served as President of FRESSH until April 2002. From 1995 to 2000 she was elected Vice President of the Socialist International Youth IUSY. Monika was a member of the Socialist Party from December 1991 to September 2004. During this time she was also a member of the

Parliament of Albania 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 ...

from 2001 to 2005, and also was selected two times to the Tirana Municipal Council for which she was elected secretary of the local government delegation to the Council of Europe. In September 2004, she was one of the founders of the

2017—present

On 5 July 2017, Kryemadhi became the leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration. Although she is the spouse of former President

, she refused to take the honorific position of

, conceding the post to their oldest daughter. On 25 July 2022, Ilir Meta took over the leadership of the Socialist Movement for Integration after his term as president had ended. Kryemadhi is currently also serving in the

as a member for

Fier Fier (; sq-definite, Fieri) is the seventh most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Fier County and Fier Municipality. It is situated on the bank of Gjanica River in the Myzeqe Plain between the Seman in the north, the Vjos ...

Controversy

In October 2018, many public figures and politicians in Albania were involved in a huge plagiarism scandal, involving their Masters and Ph.D. theses. The denouncement of cases of plagiarism started by Taulant Muka, a young epidemiologist educated in the Netherlands, who waged a crusade against the “fake” PhDs held by many politicians and government functionaries. This scandal among other things, sparked nationwide protests from the students of public universities, requiring a vetting for all academic titles held by public figures, state officials and politicians

Television

She sang a duet with

Majlinda Bregu Majlinda Bregu (born 19 May 1974) is an Albanian politician and diplomat. She served as Minister of European Integration and Government Spokeswoman from 2007 to 2013 in the Berisha cabinet. A member of the Albanian Parliament from 2005 until 2 ...

on '' Kënga Magjike 07''. At '' Kënga Magjike 07'' she was on the jury.

Personal life

On 6 July 2019, Kryemadhi revealed that she had been diagnosed with uterine cancer, and had undergone surgery to remove a mass. As of 2019, she was fully cured.

References

External links

Intervistë me kryetaren e LSI-së, Monika Kryemadhi
(

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

)
Albania must stay the course of EU Integration says the nation’s most influential woman politician
(New Europe)
New Politics for New Generation of Albania
(European Interest)
Kryemadhi in Washington with Former Important Members of the American Congress
(Albanian Daily News) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kryemadhi, Monika Living people 1974 births Politicians from Tirana Political party leaders of Albania University of Tirana alumni Socialist Movement for Integration politicians First ladies of Albania Members of the Parliament of Albania Women members of the Parliament of Albania 21st-century Albanian women politicians 21st-century Albanian politicians