Dr. Fatmir Sejdiu

Dr. Fatmir Sejdiu was born on October 23, 1951 in Pakashticë, Podujevë municipality of Podujevë, Kosovo. He completed his primary and secondary education in Podujevë.

He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Prishtina in 1974, where he also completed his postgraduate studies, and defended his doctoral dissertation.

He was a lecturer at the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Prishtina with the title of full professor for 33 consecutive years. For in-depth studies, he stayed in France (University “Paris 2”, in 1984, at the Section of History of Institutions of Economics, Philosophy and Sociology of Law and History of Political Ideas) and in the USA (Arizona State University, for 4 months), and he had shorter study stays at other universities. He has published many scientific works in the legal – historical and legal – constitutional fields, as well as special books in these fields.

Fatmir Sejdiu was a participant of the founding Assembly of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) on December 23, 1989. At the First Electoral Assembly, in 1991, he was elected a member of the General Council and in 1992 a member of the Presidency of the LDK, while in 1994 he was the Secretary General of the LDK. He also exercised this function from 2004-2006.

On December 9th 2006, he was elected chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo, a position he held until 2010.

He was a member of the Central Commission for the Organization of the Referendum on the Independence of Kosovo held in 1991.

He was elected a deputy at the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo in 1992 and 1998. Likewise, in 1998, he was elected Secretary General of the Assembly and Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs. In 2001, in the first democratic post-war elections, he was elected a deputy at the Assembly of Kosovo and a member of the Presidency of the Assembly, in which capacity he was re-elected again in 2004.

On February 10th 2006, Fatmir Sejdiu was elected President of the Republic of Kosovo with two-thirds of the votes of the deputies of the Assembly of Kosovo.

He led the Unity Team in the negotiations before determining the final status of the Republic of Kosovo.

He has given lectures at important scientific institutions in the world, such as Arizona State University, Oxford Union, LSE London, Louvain, Tirana, the “World Affairs Council” – San Francisco, Harvard University and other institutions.

In June 2006, the State University of Tirana awarded Dr. Fatmir Sejdiu the title of Doctor Honoris Causa.

On November 3, 2008, President Sejdiu was honored by the President of the Republic of Albania, Mr. Bamir Topi, with the “Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg” Order.

On November 5, 2008, President Sejdiu received the “Honorary Citizen of Shkodra” Award.

On February 23, 2009, President Sejdiu was honored with the “Distinguished Global Leadership” award at Arizona State University

Also, in April 2011, he was awarded the title Doctor Honoris Causa by Sakarya State University in Turkey.

He communicates in Albanian, French, English, Serbo-Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian. He is married and has three children. He lives in Prishtina.

On September 27, 2010, he resigned from the post of President of the Republic of Kosovo.