First President of the Republic of Kosovo 2006-2010
Fatmir Sejdiu was born on October 23, 1951 in Pakashtica, the municipality of Podujevo, Kosovo. He finished his primary and secondary education in Podujevo.
He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Pristina, in 1974, where he finished the postgraduate studies, and has defended his doctoral dissertation.
He was professors at the Faculty of Law and at the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Prishtina with the call of Ordinary professor for 33 years. For in-depth studies he has stayed in France (University “Paris 2”, in 1984, the Section of History of the Institutions of Economics, Philosophy and Sociology of Law and history of political ideas) and in the USA (Arizona State University, for 4 months) and has had shorter study stays at other universities. He has published many scientific works from the legal, historical and legal-constitutional field and special books of these areas.
Fatmir Sejdiu has been participant of the establishing Assembly of the Democratic League of Kosovo (DLK) on December 23, 1989. At the first party convention, in 1991, he was elected member of the General Council and in 1992 member of the presidency of the DLK, while in 1994 Secretary General of the DLK. He also exercised this function from 2004 till 2006.
On December 9, 2006 he was elected President of the Democratic League of Kosovo, a post which he exercised until 2010.
He was a member of the Central Commission for the organization of the Referendum for the independence of Kosovo held in 1991.
He was elected deputy in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo in 1992 and 1998. Likewise, in 1998 he was elected Secretary General of the Assembly and President of the Committee for Constitutional Issues. In 2001, at the first democratic elections since the war, he was elected deputy in the Assembly of Kosovo and member of the Assembly Presidency, in which textures he was re-elected again in 2004.
On February 10, 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 has led the Unity Team, in the negotiations before determining the final status of the Republic of Kosovo.
He has held lectures in important scientific institutions in the world, as in Arizona State University, Oxford Union, LSE London, Leuven, Tirana, World Affairs Council – San Francisco, Harvard University and other institutions.
On 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 Order “Gjergj Kastrioti Scanderbeg”.
On November 5, 2008, President Sejdiu has received the Award “Honorary Citizen of Shkodra.
On February 23, 2009, President Sejdiu, at Arizona State University, was awarded the “Distinguished Global Leadership” award.
Likewise, in April 2011, he was honored with the title Doctor Honoris Causa from the State University of Sakaryas in Turkey.
He communicates in Albanian, French, English, Serbo-Croatian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian. He is married and has three children. He lives in Prishtina.
On September 27, 2010, he resigned as President of the Republic of Kosovo.