Rexhep Meidani

Rexhep Meidani ( born August 17, 1944 in Tirana, Albania) was the President of the Republic of Albania are 1997 to 2002.

Meidani is a physicist. He graduated in 1966 to study at the University of Tirana and made from later post-graduate studies at the University of Caen in France ( 1974). Until 1996 he was a professor at the University of Tirana, including as dean of natural sciences.

In the first multi-party elections in Albania in 1991, he was Chairman of the Central Election Commission and as a result employees in the government of Ramiz Alia. From 1992 he became involved in particular for human rights. In 1996 he joined the Socialist Party of Albania in (PS).

After the riots in June 1997 Meidani was elected at the extraordinary elections to the Albanian Parliament. This Parliament elected him on 24 July 1997 as President. His presidency is characterized in particular by the new Albanian Constitution, which was adopted by the Albanian community in November 1998.

In 2002 he was not re-elected because the tips of the PS and the Democratic Party (PD ) had agreed on Alfred Moisiu as new president. In autumn 2003 Meidani candidate for the presidency of the PS, losing to the long-standing chairman and Prime Minister of Albania, Fatos Nano.