Fatmir Sejdiu
Encyclopedia
Fatmir Sejdiu is a politician from Kosovo
. He was the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo
(LDK) and was the first President
of the Republic of Kosovo
.
, Yugoslavia (today Kosovo
). He finished the primary school and high school in Podujevo
. On 1974, he graduated in the Faculty of Law
of the University of Pristina where he also doctorate
d. He served as a professor at the University of Pristina, teaching throughout his tenure as a Parliamentarian. He speaks Albanian
, English
, Serbian
, and French
.
Sejdiu was an early protester against Serbian authoritarian rule and had for many years in his academic office a portrait depicting himself and fellow political party leader Veton Surroi
locking arms before the riot police. He has always been widely admired for being honest and fair in all his political dealings.
Due to persisting conflicts between the Kosovo Liberation Army
(KLA) and the security forces of Yugoslavia under Serbian President Slobodan Milošević
, the Kosovo War
broke out in 1996 between the two factions. Accusations of widespread abuse by government forces towards ethnic Albanians in 1999 ignited the second part of the war in which NATO forces intervened and unleashed a bombing campaign against President Milošević. The war ended in mid-1999, and Kosovo was placed under a UN Protectorate of autonomy where Ibrahim Rugova
became the president of the territory. President Sejdiu succeeded Rugova and became the first president of the country of Kosovo when Kosovo officially declared independence
from Serbia
on 17 February 2008.
Sejdiu served in each of the Presidencies of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK
) as well as serving on the Presidency of the Assembly of Kosovo
and was one of the authors of the Constitutional Framework of Kosovo in 2001.
Sejdiu was an influential parliamentarian in the LDK, the party of former Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova. He was elected President by the Kosovo Assembly after Rugova died from lung cancer in early 2006. Sejdiu has won praise from the international community for prioritizing implementation of the UN-endorsed "standards" of good governance
and multi-ethnicity
.
On 24 July 2006, Sejdiu attended in Vienna the first high-level meeting between the prime ministers and presidents of Kosovo and Serbia to discuss the future status of Kosovo
.
On 9 January 2008, Sejdiu resigned from his position as President of Kosovo to run again in the following elections held the same day. This would allow him to start a completely new term with the inauguration of the new legislature, given that there are no term limits established by the Constitution Framework
. He received 68 votes out of 81 needed for his election after a third round of parliamentary vote, when a simple majority of 61 votes is required for the election of the president and regained the position. His opponent, Naim Maloku
of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
(AAK), running with the support of three minor parties, obtained 37 votes in the first round. Sejdiu received one vote less in the second round, while 37 deputies chose Maloku. Sejdiu was elected in the third round of voting later on the same day.
On 27 September 2010, he stepped down from the post of president of the Republic of Kosovo. Prior to his resignation, Constitutional Court of Kosovo
stated that Fatmir Sejdiu was violating the Constitution of Kosovo
, because he was both president of the Republic of Kosovo and also leader of Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).
In November 2010, he lost the LDK leadership election to Isa Mustafa
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. He was the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo
Democratic League of Kosovo
The Democratic League of Kosovo is the second largest political party in Kosovo. It is a conservative and liberal conservative party; the main right-wing party in Kosovo....
(LDK) and was the first President
President of Kosovo
The President of the Republic of Kosovo is Head of State of the disputed Republic of Kosovo. The President of Kosovo is elected by the Assembly of Kosovo. The first post-war president, who served until his death in January 2006, was Ibrahim Rugova. His successor was Fatmir Sejdiu. When Sejdiu...
of the Republic of Kosovo
Republic of Kosovo
Kosovo , officially the Republic of Kosovo is a partially recognised state and a disputed territory in the Balkans...
.
Early life and education
He was born in the small village of Pakaštica, PodujevoPodujevo
Podujevo or Podujeva is a town and municipality located in the district of Pristina of north-eastern Kosovo.Podujevo is situated in a strategic position due to a regional motorway and railroad passing through it which links surrounding regions. Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is located some to...
, Yugoslavia (today Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
). He finished the primary school and high school in Podujevo
Podujevo
Podujevo or Podujeva is a town and municipality located in the district of Pristina of north-eastern Kosovo.Podujevo is situated in a strategic position due to a regional motorway and railroad passing through it which links surrounding regions. Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is located some to...
. On 1974, he graduated in the Faculty of Law
Legal education
Legal education is the education of individuals who intend to become legal professionals or those who simply intend to use their law degree to some end, either related to law or business...
of the University of Pristina where he also doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
d. He served as a professor at the University of Pristina, teaching throughout his tenure as a Parliamentarian. He speaks Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Political career
Veton Surroi
Veton Surroi is a popular Kosovo Albanian publicist and politician. Surroi is the founder and former leader of the ORA reformist political party, and was a member of Kosovo assembly from 2004 to 2008...
locking arms before the riot police. He has always been widely admired for being honest and fair in all his political dealings.
Due to persisting conflicts between the Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....
(KLA) and the security forces of Yugoslavia under Serbian President Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
, the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
broke out in 1996 between the two factions. Accusations of widespread abuse by government forces towards ethnic Albanians in 1999 ignited the second part of the war in which NATO forces intervened and unleashed a bombing campaign against President Milošević. The war ended in mid-1999, and Kosovo was placed under a UN Protectorate of autonomy where Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova was an Albanian politician who was the first President of Kosovo and of its leading political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo ....
became the president of the territory. President Sejdiu succeeded Rugova and became the first president of the country of Kosovo when Kosovo officially declared independence
2008 Kosovo declaration of independence
The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence was adopted on 17 February 2008 by individual members of the Assembly of Kosovo acting in personal capacity and not binding to the Assembly itself...
from Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
on 17 February 2008.
Sejdiu served in each of the Presidencies of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK
Democratic League of Kosovo
The Democratic League of Kosovo is the second largest political party in Kosovo. It is a conservative and liberal conservative party; the main right-wing party in Kosovo....
) as well as serving on the Presidency of the Assembly of Kosovo
Assembly of Kosovo
The Assembly of Kosovo was originally established by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo in 2001 to provide 'provisional, democratic self-government'....
and was one of the authors of the Constitutional Framework of Kosovo in 2001.
Sejdiu was an influential parliamentarian in the LDK, the party of former Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova. He was elected President by the Kosovo Assembly after Rugova died from lung cancer in early 2006. Sejdiu has won praise from the international community for prioritizing implementation of the UN-endorsed "standards" of good governance
Good governance
Good governance is an indeterminate term used in development literature to describe how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in order to guarantee the realization of human rights. Governance describes "the process of decision-making and the process by which...
and multi-ethnicity
Multiethnic society
A multiethnic society is one with members belonging to more than one ethnic group, in contrast to societies which are ethnically homogenous. In practice, virtually all contemporary national societies are multiethnic...
.
On 24 July 2006, Sejdiu attended in Vienna the first high-level meeting between the prime ministers and presidents of Kosovo and Serbia to discuss the future status of Kosovo
Kosovo Future Status Process
During and after the breakup of Yugoslavia there were increasing ethnic and regional conflicts, culminating in the Kosovo War of 1999. The result of that war was the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, an agreement reached between the FR Yugoslavia and NATO...
.
On 9 January 2008, Sejdiu resigned from his position as President of Kosovo to run again in the following elections held the same day. This would allow him to start a completely new term with the inauguration of the new legislature, given that there are no term limits established by the Constitution Framework
Constitution of Kosovo
The Constitution of Kosovo currently refers either to the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo or to the Constitutional Framework for the Provisional Self-Government of Kosovo....
. He received 68 votes out of 81 needed for his election after a third round of parliamentary vote, when a simple majority of 61 votes is required for the election of the president and regained the position. His opponent, Naim Maloku
Naim Maloku
Naim Maloku is a Kosovar Albanian politician and former officer of the Kosovo Liberation Army. He is a member of the Assembly of Kosovo under the banner of the AAK party. In the 2008 presidential election, he was proposed by his party as a candidate for President of Kosovo, and subsequently...
of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo is a political party in Kosovo. It was formed on 29 April 2001.- Leadership :The current president of the party is Ramush Haradinaj. In December 2004 the parliament elected him as Prime Minister of Kosovo and he formed a coalition government with the largest...
(AAK), running with the support of three minor parties, obtained 37 votes in the first round. Sejdiu received one vote less in the second round, while 37 deputies chose Maloku. Sejdiu was elected in the third round of voting later on the same day.
On 27 September 2010, he stepped down from the post of president of the Republic of Kosovo. Prior to his resignation, Constitutional Court of Kosovo
Constitutional Court of Kosovo
The Constitutional Court of Kosovo is the final authority for the interpretation of the Constitution of Kosovo and the compliance of laws in accordance with the constitution....
stated that Fatmir Sejdiu was violating the Constitution of Kosovo
Constitution of Kosovo
The Constitution of Kosovo currently refers either to the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo or to the Constitutional Framework for the Provisional Self-Government of Kosovo....
, because he was both president of the Republic of Kosovo and also leader of Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).
In November 2010, he lost the LDK leadership election to Isa Mustafa
Isa Mustafa
Isa Mustafa is an Albanian politician from Kosovo, the Mayor of Pristina and the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo .-Early life:...