Nijaz Duraković (1 January 1949 – 29 January 2012) was a Bosnian author, intellectual, professor and politician who served as the last president of the League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1989 to 1991. He is widely considered to have been one of the most influential modern authors on sociopolitical issues in the region of his generation. Duraković served as the Bosniak member of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina alongside

Alija Izetbegović Alija Izetbegović (; 8 August 1925 – 19 October 2003) was a Bosnian politician, Islamic philosophy, Islamic philosopher and author, who in 1992 became the first Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, president of the Presidency ...

from 1993 to 1996, most of it during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

. He was the founder and first president of the Social Democratic Party. He also served as member of the national

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

from 2002 to 2006. Duraković died in January 2012 at the age of 63.

Political career

Duraković was born in Stolac, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia on 1 January 1949 to Hakija and Ćamila. He completed his primary and secondary education there, and then his BA, MA, and

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

degrees in sociology at the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...

. He served as the last president of the League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 29 June 1989 until 24 February 1991, and as the first president of the Social Democratic Party from 27 December 1992 to 6 April 1997. On 20 October 1993, Duraković became a member of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the

, serving alongside

until 5 October 1996. In the 2002 general election, he was elected to the national

, serving as its member until 20 November 2006.

Publications

Beyond politics, Duraković was widely recognized as one of the country's most prolific authors. His body of work includes 16 books and more than 200 scientific journals and articles which he wrote during his tenure as Senior Professor at the

Faculty of Political Science in Sarajevo The Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo () or FPN is one of the 24 Faculty (division), faculties of the University of Sarajevo. The faculty was formed in 1961 as the former "High School (i.e. Tertiary education, tertiary institution) of Poli ...

. Duraković's most prominent book is ''The Curse of Muslims'' (Prokletstvo Muslimana).

Death

Duraković died on 29 January 2012 in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

following a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

, at the age of 63. His death was met with statements of sympathy and tribute from many individuals and organizations. Bosnian Presidency chairman

Željko Komšić Željko Komšić (; born 20 January 1964) is a Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Croat politician serving as the List of Croat members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6th and current Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia a ...

released a statement upon Duraković's death, describing him as a "great man" and a "successful politician and fighter for Bosnia and Herzegovina." Federal prime minister

Nermin Nikšić Nermin Nikšić (; born 27 December 1960) is a Bosnian politician serving as List of prime ministers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina since April 2023, having previously serve ...

stated "There will be a gap behind Duraković that will be difficult to fill. Generations that follow his example can learn how to love Bosnia and Herzegovina."

References

External links

Nijaz Duraković
at imovinapoliticara.cin.ba {{DEFAULTSORT:Durakovic, Nijaz 1949 births 2012 deaths People from Stolac University of Sarajevo alumni Bosniak politicians League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Bosnia and Herzegovina writers Bosniak writers Yugoslav writers 20th-century male writers 21st-century male writers Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Politicians of the Bosnian War 20th-century philosophers 21st-century philosophers Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ex officio members of the Presidency of the 13th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia Members of the Central Committee of the 13th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia

Political career

Publications

Death

See also

References

External links