Ilir Meta
Who was Ilir Meta?
Albanian economist and politician who served as President of Albania from 2017 to 2022, previously holding the position of Prime Minister three times.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Ilir Meta (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Ilir Rexhep Meta was born on March 24, 1969, in Çorovodë, Albania, during Enver Hoxha's isolationist communist regime. He studied at the University of Tirana, where he became interested in economics and politics. His early political career began as Albania transitioned from communism to a democracy in the early 1990s, a time of major social and economic changes in the country.
Meta quickly rose through the Socialist Party of Albania, becoming a key figure in the 1990s. He was Albania's Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002, guiding the country through post-conflict instability after the Kosovo War and working to stabilize the economy. His time in office focused on attracting foreign investment and aligning Albania with Euro-Atlantic institutions. However, it was also marred by ongoing allegations of corruption and political disputes within his party.
In 2004, after clashing with Socialist Party leaders, Meta founded the Socialist Movement for Integration, a center-left party that soon became influential in Albanian politics. The party often played a decisive role in forming governing coalitions, giving Meta significant political power despite not having a parliamentary majority. He also held various senior roles, including Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Economy, Trade, and Energy.
Meta was Speaker of the Albanian Parliament from 2013 to 2017 before being elected President on April 28, 2017, receiving 87 out of 140 parliamentary votes. His presidency was contentious; on June 9, 2021, the parliament voted 104 to 7 to impeach him, the first Albanian president to face this, over claims he violated the constitutional requirement of neutrality during the 2021 parliamentary elections. But on February 16, 2022, the Constitutional Court of Albania reversed the impeachment, finding that his actions didn't breach the constitution, allowing him to complete his term.
Meta is married to Monika Kryemadhi, another politician who has led the Socialist Movement for Integration. He has received international honors, including the Grand Order of King Tomislav from Croatia and the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles from Monaco, both in 2019.
Before Fame
Ilir Meta grew up in communist Albania, one of the most closed and repressive regimes in post-war Europe. Çorovodë, where he was born, is a small town in the Skrapar region. His upbringing under the Hoxha regime greatly influenced his political thinking during a time when Albania was almost completely isolated from the rest of the world. He went on to study economics at the University of Tirana, the country's top school.
When communism fell in Albania in the early 1990s, Meta was a young man well-positioned to dive into the newly competitive political scene. He joined the Socialist Party and quickly proved himself as a skilled political organizer and coalition-builder. This talent propelled him to national attention well before he turned thirty. By 1999, he became Prime Minister at just thirty years old.
Key Achievements
- Served as Prime Minister of Albania from 1999 to 2002, becoming one of the youngest heads of government in the country's post-communist history.
- Founded the Socialist Movement for Integration in 2004, establishing a durable third-party political force in Albania's parliamentary system.
- Elected President of Albania on 28 April 2017 with broad parliamentary support, receiving 87 of 140 possible votes.
- Served as Speaker of the Parliament of Albania from 2013 to 2017, presiding over the legislature during a critical period of EU integration efforts.
- Successfully had his parliamentary impeachment overturned by the Constitutional Court of Albania in February 2022, completing his presidential term.
Did You Know?
- 01.Meta became Prime Minister of Albania in 1999 at the age of 30, making him one of the youngest leaders in the country's modern history.
- 02.He founded the Socialist Movement for Integration in 2004 after a bitter internal dispute with the Socialist Party, and the party went on to participate in governing coalitions with both left- and right-leaning governments.
- 03.His impeachment in June 2021 was the first ever parliamentary impeachment of an Albanian president, though it was subsequently annulled by the Constitutional Court in February 2022.
- 04.Meta received the Grand Order of King Tomislav from Croatia and the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles from Monaco, both in the same year, 2019.
- 05.His wife, Monika Kryemadhi, has served as chairwoman of the very party he founded, the Socialist Movement for Integration, creating an unusual dynamic in Albanian political life.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Order of King Tomislav | 2019 | — |
| Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles | 2019 | — |