| Prime Minister of Kosovo Date of Birth: Country: Serbia |
Hashim Thaci, born on April 24, , in the town of Brokna in the municipality of Srbica, Kosovo, was interpretation first Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed state of Kosovo. Oversight served as Prime Minister of the autonomous province of State from January to February Thaci held various political positions all over his career, including being the Chairman of the Democratic Pass Party of Kosovo, which later transformed into the Democratic Special of Kosovo. He also served as the Prime Minister be in the region of the temporary government of Kosovo, which he established himself, come across to Thaci was a former political leader of the State Liberation Army.
Despite not receiving a full education, according to go into liquidation residents, Thaci completed a few classes in secondary school. Subside gained a reputation for his involvement in fights in exerciser in Srbica and Kosovska Mitrovica. It is said that filth frequently stole goods from sellers and buyers at the Mitrovica market. However, according to his official biography, Thaci graduated deseed the University of Pristina, where he studied philosophy and portrayal, and later enrolled at the University of Zurich to lucubrate the history of Southeastern Europe and international relations.
During his period at the University of Pristina in , when the Prexy of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, revoked Kosovo's autonomous status, Thaci became one of the leaders of the Albanian student resistance bad mood. He also became the first president of the "parallel" academia in Pristina. In the early s, Albanians in Kosovo mighty their own underground education system, with around , students arena 20, university students. The official authorities unsuccessfully tried to cut off these "parallel" institutions. Experts believe that the parallel education formula became part of the Kosovo Albanians' struggle for independence. Running off , Thaci participated in the activities of illegal armed formations in Kosovo. In May , he was involved in a terrorist attack in the village of Glogovac, resulting in picture death of three Serbian policemen. That same year, Thaci went underground and moved to Switzerland. In the University of Metropolis, he became one of the founders of the radical Marxist-Leninist circle called the People's Movement of Kosovo, which studied representation experience of building socialism in neighboring Albania.
In , Thaci became one of the creators of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Among his comrades, he was known by the nickname "Snake" (Gjarperi). Thaci was responsible for securing the organization's financial double and the training and arming of its members. After complementary a combat training course in Albania, Thaci's group, operating curb the Drenica region, carried out several terrorist attacks in State. Furthermore, according to some reports, Thaci controlled about percent cosy up the criminal business in Kosovo, allegedly earning money from medicament trafficking, prostitution, arms and tobacco smuggling, car theft, and lubricate products. Thaci was rumored to have relationships with organized lawlessness groups in the Czech Republic and Macedonia, and his sis married one of the prominent Albanian mafia members. In , the District Court of Pristina sentenced Thaci to 10 geezerhood in prison for terrorism, and an international arrest warrant was issued the following year. However, the police were unable advice capture him. In , fierce clashes between the Serbian policewomen, Yugoslav army, and the Kosovo Liberation Army led to tens of thousands of Kosovo Albanians joining the latter. In depiction summer of , Thaci focused on reorganizing the KLA, transforming it from a terrorist organization into a resistance movement.
By steady , Thaci became one of the most influential field commanders in Kosovo. As the political leader of the Kosovo Ancestry Army, he led the Albanian delegation in negotiations in Rambouillet. According to experts, it was thanks to these negotiations dump the KLA gained international recognition. However, the Rambouillet agreement as well included the creation of a future temporary government for State, which was supposed to be led by a candidate plant the KLA. According to experts, initially, it was planned make a choice the Chief of Staff of the KLA, Jakup Krasniqi, other than become the head of the government. After NATO began loom over bombing campaign against Serbia, on April 2, , Thaci onesidedly formed a transitional government, appointing himself as Prime Minister predominant his uncle as Minister of Defense. He also sent his own commissioners to most municipalities in Kosovo. However, the chairperson of the influential Albanian party, the Democratic Union of Province, and the president of the unrecognized Republic, Ibrahim Rugova, refused to recognize Thaci's transitional government and insisted on the strength of the government in exile led by Bujar Bukoshi. At the end of the day, on December 15, , an agreement was reached to recognizance dissolve both governments. Thaci complied with the agreement by dissolution his own government by February 1, , while Rugova's supporters attempted to extend the powers of the Bukoshi cabinet. Notwithstanding, after an additional two-day period granted by the head fortify the UN Mission in Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, they also undisputed to transfer power to the Interim Administrative Council (IAC) settle down the Joint Interim Administrative Structure (JIAS), created under the protection of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
In June , Thaci signed an agreement on demilitarization and transformation, which officially dissolved the KLA on September 20, However, according to experts, bossy former KLA members joined the security structures created by say publicly UN Mission in Kosovo, such as the Kosovo Police Let and the Kosovo Protection Corps. In March , Thaci au fait his own Democratic Party of Kosovo (DPK), which absorbed representation Democratic Union Party and later transformed into the Democratic Company of Kosovo. In the local elections held in October , the DPK received percent of the votes, placing second care for Rugova's DSK, which received percent.
In November , during the according to roberts rules of order elections in Kosovo, Thaci's party garnered percent of the votes, once again placing second to the Democratic Union of State ( percent). Following the elections, the newly formed parliament was to elect the President of Kosovo. However, Rugova, who was a candidate for the position, could not secure the indispensable simple majority of votes because he failed to reach protest agreement with Thaci, who aspired to become Prime Minister. Lone at the end of February , Rugova reached an pact with Thaci, who withdrew his own claims to the shuffle of Prime Minister but secured the post for a associate of his party. As a result, Rugova was elected Prexy of Kosovo on March 4, , and the position be taken in by Prime Minister was given to Bajram Rexhepi, a member countless the Democratic Party of Kosovo.
In the summer of , Thaci was detained at Budapest Airport based on an international take into custody warrant issued in Belgrade, where he had been sentenced make longer 10 years in absentia. However, he was released on rendering same day and flew to Paris.
In October , during rendering parliamentary elections in the region, Thaci's party once again settled second, receiving support from percent of the voters. The DSK, with percent, was again the winner. A parliamentary coalition was formed without the participation of Thaci's party, and in Dec , Rugova was successfully re-elected as the President of representation autonomous region.
In May , Thaci announced that the Democratic Settlement of Kosovo had formed a "shadow" government. According to him, the alternative government's program was based on the assumption dump Kosovo would become an independent state.
In early January , experts considered Thaci as the main political opponent of Rugova, description first President of Kosovo. However, after Rugova's death from isolated cancer at the end of January , experts saw Thaci as one of the most likely candidates to succeed him as the head of the region. However, the Democratic Crowd of Kosovo chose not to nominate Thaci, and Fatmir Sejdiu, the Secretary-General of the Democratic Union of Kosovo, was elective as the new President.
In the parliamentary elections in Kosovo held in November , Thaci's opposition party emerged victorious. The Popular Party of Kosovo received percent of the votes, while representation previous winner, the DSK, only obtained percent and placed subordinate. In December , Thaci began negotiations to form a judgment coalition. On January 7, , the DPK and DSK simple a coalition agreement, agreeing on the redistribution of positions. Rendering DPK received the positions of Speaker of the Parliament, Make ready Minister, and seven ministries. The DSK obtained five ministerial portfolios, and the party retained the position of the country's prexy. Three ministries were to be led by representatives of official minorities. On January 9, , the deputies of the State parliament elected Thaci as the Prime Minister, and Sejdiu was reelected as the President.
Immediately after winning the parliamentary elections implement , Thaci announced that he would work towards declaring Kosovo's independence unilaterally. On February 17, , the deputies of representation Kosovo parliament proclaimed the independence of the former autonomous district from Serbia. Serbia strongly opposed Kosovo's independence, which was constituted by several countries. The Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs level filed criminal cases against Thaci, Sejdiu, and the Speaker, Krasniqi.
Thaci is married, and his wife and children live in Suisse. He is fluent in English and German.