Talat Xhaferi | |
|---|---|
Талат Џафери | |
.jpg) Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Prime Minister of North Macedonia (Technical) | |
| In office 28 January 2024 – 23 June 2024 | |
| President | Stevo Pendarovski Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova |
| Preceded by | Dimitar Kovačevski |
| Succeeded by | Hristijan Mickoski |
| President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia | |
| In office 27 April 2017 – 25 January 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Emil Dimitriev(acting) Zoran Zaev Oliver Spasovski Zoran Zaev Dimitar Kovačevski |
| Preceded by | Trajko Veljanovski |
| Succeeded by | Jovan Mitreski |
| Minister of Defense | |
| In office 18 February 2013 – 19 June 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Nikola Gruevski |
| Preceded by | Fatmir Besimi |
| Succeeded by | Zoran Jolevski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Talat Xhaferi (1962-04-15)15 April 1962 (age 63) |
| Political party | Democratic Union for Integration |
| Spouse | Mereme |
| Alma mater | Belgrade Military Academy |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Signature | .svg) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Yugoslavia Macedonia National Liberation Army |
| Branch/service | Yugoslav People's Army Army of Macedonia National Liberation Army |
| Years of service | 1985–2001 |
| Battles/wars | 2001 insurgency in Macedonia |
Talat Xhaferi (Macedonian:Талат Џафери; born 15 April 1962) is aMacedonian politician who served asPrime Minister of North Macedonia from January to June 2024. He previously served as the President of theAssembly of the Republic of North Macedonia from 2017 to 2024 and asMinister of Defense from 2013 to 2014. He was the first ethnic Albanian to have served as prime minister since the independence and statehood of North Macedonia.
Xhaferi, an ethnicAlbanian, was born on 15 April 1962 in the village ofForino nearGostivar,PR Macedonia,FPR Yugoslavia. He attended primary school in the nearby village ofČegrane and continued his secondary education at the Military High School inBelgrade. He studied at the Military Academy of the Land Army Infantry of theYugoslav People's Army (JNA) in Belgrade andSarajevo. Later in his career he specialized in command and staff duties at the General Mihailo Apostolski Military Academy inSkopje. In 2013, he obtained a master's degree in defense.[1]
From 1985 to 1991, Xhaferi was a JNA officer, and from 1992 to 2001 an officer of theArmy of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM).[2]
During the2001 insurgency, in which ethnic Albanian militants attacked security forces, Xhaferi was at first a senior officer in the ARM, commanding troops in theTetovo barracks.
On 28 April, the day of theVejce massacre, he was on duty as commander at the barracks.[3] Several days later he deserted and joined theNational Liberation Army (NLA), an Albanian guerrilla group fighting against the Republic of Macedonia, and became its commander of the 116th Brigade, earning thepseudonymKomandant Forina after his birthplace.[4] He was lateramnestied, in accordance with the 2001Ohrid Agreement.[2]
Xhaferi was first elected to the Macedonian parliament in 2002 for theDemocratic 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.[2] From 2008 to 2013, he was a member of parliament from DUI, allied with the conservativeVMRO-DPMNE party. In 2012, he became known for his marathon speeches used as afilibuster 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".[2]
In 2013, Xhaferi was nominated by DUI for Minister of Defense in the Cabinet of Nikola Gruevski, after the resignation ofFatmir Besimi. The appointment of Xhaferi triggered protests by Macedonian[5][6] (in particular retired general Stojanče Angelov of the pro-veteran Dignity opposition party)[2] and Albanian citizens.[7] Xhaferi stated that his goal was to make the armed forces “a symbol of coexistence, tolerance and respect for differences”.[2]
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 presidentIlir Meta.[8]
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]
On 25 January 2024, Xhaferi resigned following the resignations of the government ofDimitar Kovačevski, in preparation to be elected as the president of a technical government which, in accordance with thePržino Agreement, will lead the country in the 100 days prior to theparliamentary elections scheduled for 8 May.[12]
Media related toTalat Xhaferi at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of North Macedonia 2024 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
