TIRANA, July 24, 2022 – Albania’s new head of state, President Bajram Begaj, has officially taken office after taking the oath in parliament on Sunday and participating at a handover ceremony at the offices of the President of the Republic.
In his first two speeches as president, Begaj focused on key issues, from the EU integration process to the international crisis created by the Russian aggression in Ukraine — as well as on the domestic political situation.
“I will always support and insist on cooperation between all political forces, in finding a common language, in finding ways, common paths, because in the end we are servants of the citizens and conflict is never a good servant,” President Begaj said. “The long and tiring transition, the crises produced internally or imported from abroad, the crises from our disagreements, from the inability to find a language and a common path, the crisis from irresponsibility, from corruption — all these have produced insecurity, injustice and exclusion.”
Begaj said he would not remain neutral if he sees political forces that put politics above national interest.
As per Albania’s current constitution, the president is largely an honorary figure meant to represent the unity of the people and ideally should not be an active political figure. Following constitutional changes in 2008, Albanian presidents have been stripped of most key powers and their selection no longer requires a two thirds vote in parliament, which meant that Begaj, the country’s former top general, was selected and voted solely by the ruling Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
As a result, the swearing-in session was boycotted by opposition MPs loyal to former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who has regained the leadership of the main opposition Democratic Party. The party issued a statement saying Begaj’s taking of office was “the day of the installation of the complete single-party rule of Prime Minister Edi Rama.” Several anti-Berisha DP MPs did attend “in respect of the Constitution and the institutions,” despite the strong objections that they also had to the process of his election, according to DP MP Enkelejd Alibeaj.
Begaj retired from the military to take the new office. Not previously involved in politics, the 55-year-old has had a low profile, and is not well known publicly, rising to become Albania’s top military officer and its highest ranked general in 2020. He was serving as chief of the general staff of the Albanian armed forces when he was picked, which made his vetting for the presidency easier and faster, according to officials.
Begaj is a medical doctor by training, and he rose as a manager from the military’s medical wing, serving in various positions in the armed forces for the past 30 years. He went through medical and military schools in Albania, is an associate professor at the Medical University of Tirana and has had several trainings at key military management institutions in the United States and Germany, according to his official biography. Born in 1967 in the central Albanian town of Rrogozhina, Begaj is married and has two adult sons.
Begaj succeeds Ilir Meta, who just finished a full five-year mandate, in which he was a strong voice of criticism of the Rama government. The ruling majority tried unsuccessfully to remove him from office. Meta has now promised he will immediately return to active party politics, something he could not do while holding the office of the president. .
Meta warmly welcomed Begaj to the office during the handover ceremony, where state protocol dictates that the Head of the Constitutional Court, Vitore Tusha, hand over a copy of the constitution to the new president, who then addresses key state and society representatives in attendance.
“I will be a servant of my people, a representative of our national unity, a steadfast supporter of the Euro-Atlantic journey for all Albanians of Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, the Presheva Valley, and wherever they live and they work,” Begaj said in his remarks. I will be a contributor and supporter of communication and cooperation, of initiatives and ideas that develop and advance our society. Dialogue and cooperation between political forces, civil society, religious communities, national minorities, attentive listening to the voice of the free, transparent and true media, respect and acceptance of the debate enables its strength to be embodied in well-being, development and progress for the citizens and the country. The future of the country is everyone’s responsibility.”
Albanian presidents serve five-year terms with the opportunity to serve a second term, according to the constitution. No president since the fall of communism has been able to serve a full second term due to disagreements with the ruling parties.
