Talat Xhaferi | |
|---|---|
| Талат Џафери Talat Džaferi | |
.jpg.webp) Xhaferi in 2023 | |
| President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia | |
| Assumed office 27 April 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Emil Dimitriev (acting) Zoran Zaev Oliver Spasovski Zoran Zaev Dimitar Kovačevski |
| Preceded by | Trajko Veljanovski |
| Minister of Defense | |
| In office 18 February 2013 – 19 June 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Fatmir Besimi |
| Succeeded by | Zoran Jolevski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Talat Xhaferi 15 April 1962 Forino, PR Macedonia, Yugoslavia (now North Macedonia) |
| Political party | Democratic Union for Integration |
| Alma mater | Belgrade Military Academy |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Ethnicity | Albanian |
| Signature | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} |
Talat Xhaferi or Talat Džaferi (Macedonian: Талат Џафери, romanized: Talat Džaferi, [taˈlat d͡ʒafɛˈri]; born 15 April 1962) is a Macedonian politician and the current President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia since 2017. He was also Minister of Defense from 2013 to 2014.
Early life and military career
Xhaferi, an ethnic Albanian, was born on 15 April 1962 in the village of Forino near Gostivar, PR Macedonia, FPR Yugoslavia. He attended primary school in the nearby village of Čegrane and continued his secondary education at the Belgrade Military High School. He studied at the Military Academy of the Land Army Infantry of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in Belgrade and Sarajevo and specialized in command and staff duties at the General Mihailo Apostolski Military Academy in Skopje. From 1985 to 1991 he was a JNA officer, and from 1992 to 2001 an officer of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM).[1]
During the 2001 insurgency, in which ethnic Albanian militants attacked security forces, Xhaferi was at first a senior officer in the ARM, commanding troops in the Tetovo barracks. On April 28, the day of the Vejce massacre, he was on duty as commander at the barracks.[2] Several days later he deserted and joined the National Liberation Army (NLA), an Albanian guerrilla group against the Republic of Macedonia, and became its commander of the 116th Brigade, earning the pseudonym Komandant Forina after his birthplace.[3] He was later amnestied, following the Ohrid agreement.[1]
Political career
Xhaferi was first elected to the Macedonian parliament in 2002 for the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), which was formed that year by members of the dissolved NLA. From 2004 to 2006 Xhaferi was Deputy Minister of Defence.[4] From 2008 to 2013, he was a member of parliament from DUI, allied with the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party. In 2012, he became known for his marathon speeches used as a filibuster tactic to blocking the adoption of a law on veterans that would have granted benefits to Macedonian war veterans. He blocked the draft at commission level by "reading poetry, citing foreign literature and reports on Macedonia, mumbling or simply remaining silent, waiting for the time to pass".[1]
In 2013, Xhaferi was nominated by DUI for Minister of Defense in the Cabinet of Nikola Gruevski, after the resignation of Fatmir Besimi. The appointment of Xhaferi triggered protests by Macedonian[5][6] (in particular retired general Stojanče Angelov of the pro-veteran Dignity opposition party)[1] and Albanian citizens.[7] Xhaferi stated that his goal was to make the armed forces “a symbol of coexistence, tolerance and respect for differences”.[1]
On 26 November 2019, an earthquake struck Albania. Xhaferi was part of a delegation of ethnically Albanian politicians from North Macedonia visiting the earthquake epicenter that expressed their condolences to Albanian president Ilir Meta.[8]
President of the Assembly
In April 2017, Xhaferi was elected President of the Macedonian parliament, supported by a coalition of Albanian national parties and the opposition social-democratic SDSM party, sparking riots in the parliament building.[9] The VMRO-DPMNE party labeled this move as a coup.[10] Subsequently, demonstrators broke into the parliament building, beating journalists and MPs, and had to be cleared by the police.[9][11]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Dimovski, Sase (22 February 2013). "Talat Xhaferi: Macedonia's Controversial Defence Chief". Balkan Insight (BIRN). Archived from the original on 1 June 2017.
- ↑ "Ангелов: Талат Џафери да каже зошто по масакрот кај Вејце, дезертирал од АРМ" [Angelov: Talat Xhaferi should explain why after the massacre of Vejce, he left ARM] (in Macedonian). Инфо ( Здружение на граѓани за одбрана на слободата на говорот и на јавното изразување [Citizens' Association for the Defense of Freedom of Speech and Public Expression]). 28 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013.
- ↑ "Груевски го предложи Командант Форина од УЧК за прв човек на македонската одбрана" [Gruevski proposed Commandant Forrina from UCK as the head of Macedonian defense] (in Macedonian). Кирилица. 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013.
- ↑ Balkan Insight (in Serbian)
- ↑ Deutsche Welle (in Macedonian)
- ↑ koha.net (in Albanian)
- ↑ AP (in English)
- ↑ "Meta në Durrës me Talat Xhaferrin dhe Ali Ahmetin: Nuk do e harrojmë kurrë ndihmën tuaj" (in Albanian). ABC News. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
- 1 2 Hopkins, Valerie (28 April 2017). "What Happened in Macedonia, and Why". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
- ↑ "V makedonski parlament vdrli protestniki, poslanci vzklikali: To je puč!" [Demonstrators protest in the Macedonian Parliament, outcry: It's a coup!] (in Slovenian). 24ur.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017.
- ↑ Testorides, Konstantin (27 April 2017). "Protesters attack Macedonian lawmakers over leadership vote, dozens injured". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 29 April 2017.