Ekrem

Bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

Libohova (24 February 1882 – 7 June 1948) was an Albanian politician and

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

collaborator. He served as the Prime Minister of Albania on two occasions during the

Italian occupation of Albania Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Political career

He was born in

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in Southern Albania, southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë moun ...

and educated in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

and

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. His brother was

Mufid Libohova Mufid Bey Libohova (1876 in Libohovë – 1927 in Sarandë) was an Albanian economist, diplomat and politician and one of the delegates at the Assembly of Vlorë (28 November 1912) where the Albanian Declaration of Independence took place. H ...

, who was Minister of the Interior in the

Provisional Government of Albania The Provisional Government of Albania (), also called the Qemali Government, was the first government of Albania, created by the Assembly of Vlorë on 4 December 1912. It was a paternal government, led by Ismail Qemali, until his resignation o ...

. Early in his political career, Libohova served as the

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 ...

Minister to Rome. In 1924, while serving in this role, Libohova helped negotiate the creation of the

Bank of Albania The Bank of Albania () is the central bank of Albania, issuing the Albanian lek. It is headquartered in Tirana, with five branches in Shkodër, Elbasan, Gjirokastër, Korçë and Lushnjë, and a Research and Training Center in Berat. The bank was ...

. He was joined by his brother, Mufid. In 1929, he became a minister of court to

Zog I Zog I (born Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli; 8 October 18959 April 1961) was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's youngest ever Prime Minister (1922–1924), then as president (1925–1928), and finally as King ...

. Libohova was described as an "Italophile" by other members of Albania's political class during his time as minister to the court. On 26 January 1931, he joined King Zog on a trip to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. On 20 February, after attending a showing of ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, 'Clowns') is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who mu ...

'' at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

, Libohova was injured in an assassination attempt against the King. Zog, Libohova, and their chauffeur returned fire on the attempted assassins,

Aziz Çami Aziz Çami (1893 – 15 December 1943) was an Albanian army officer and Balli Kombëtar commander. In 1920 he was a commander in the Vlora War. In the mid-1920s, he was exiled after the restoration of the monarchy as he was a supporter of Fan Nol ...

and

Ndok Gjeloshi Ndok Gjeloshi (15 November 1893 – 11 April 1943) was an Albanian army officer and Militia commander during World War II. Life Gjeloshi was born in Mekshaj, Shalë municipality of Dukagjin region in North Albania, on the 15th of November 1 ...

. Libohova was shot in the leg and a bullet went through his hat; the King was unharmed. During the 1936-1939 government of

Kostaq Kotta Kostaq Kotta, also known as Koço Kotta (5 May 1886 – 1 September 1947), was an Albanian politician and twice prime minister during the reign of King Zog I, who took a pro-Italian right-wing stance. Biography He was educated in Greece and Ita ...

, Libohova was Albania's foreign minister. After the

Italian invasion of Albania The Italian invasion of Albania was a brief military campaign which was launched by Fascist Italy, Italy against Albanian Kingdom (1928–1939), Albania in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime m ...

, he left the country for

but returned to serve in the government of the Italian protectorate. From January 19 to February 13, 1943, and from May 12 to September 8, 1943, Libohova served as

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. As Germany invaded Albania to replace the Italians, Libohova and Italian General Alberto Pariani escaped for Italy. Libohova died in Rome on 7 June 1948.

References

1882 births 1948 deaths People from Gjirokastër People from Janina vilayet Albanian Fascist Party politicians Government ministers of Albania Prime ministers of Albania State auditors of Albania Members of the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations Albanian collaborators with Fascist Italy Albanian fascists Ambassadors of Albania to Italy Ambassadors of Albania to France {{Albania-politician-stub