Prokop Murra

Prokop Murra (1921–2007) was a former Albanian politician of the Albanian Party of Labour (PPSh).

Murra was born on 24 November 1921 in Tirana, and studied economics. He joined the Albanian Communist Party in 1943 and fought during World War II as a partisan of the National Liberation Movement. He initially worked as a functionary of the party in the economic sector, and petroleum industry. In 1956 he became member of the Central Committee (CC) of the Party.

In 1962, he was elected for the first time as representative in the People's Assembly (Alb: Kuvendi Popullor), and remained such until the fifth legislature ending in 1966. In the '70s, he was temporarily First Secretary of PPSh in Shkodra. Furthermore, he was temporarily Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Commission 1980–1981.

At the 7th Congress of the Party which took place in November 1976, Murra was elected member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party. He held this position until April 1980.

Between 1978 and 1991, he served again from the ninth to eleventh legislature as representative in the National Assembly.

On April 26, 1980, he was Minister of Industry and Mines in the last government of Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu.

Murra succeeded at the 8th Party Congress in November 1981 to become candidate-member of the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania, but was removed from the Secretariat of the Central Committee. In the subsequent government of Adil Çarçani, he served as Minister of Energy (the Ministry of Industry and Mines was split) until 1 July 1982 when he was replaced by Pali Miska. He served shortly as Party's Secretary in Tirana District, before being replace by Gaqo (Gogo) Nesho (1921–2009) and becoming Minister of People's Defence on November 23, 1982 (Alb: Minister i Mbrojtjes Popullore). His appointment as Defense Minister was surprising, since he was the first civilian in this position since the founding of the People's Republic of Albania on 11 January 1946. In a speech he gave shortly after the death of Enver Hoxha, he stated that Albania would never establish relations with the superpowers as United States and Soviet Union, and focus on "self-reliance". At the 9th Congress of the Party in 1986, he became member of the Politburo. With Ramiz Alia coming into power after Hoxha's death, he was later removed from the Politburo as a "hard-liner", thus not Alia's favorite. After retiring from the government on July 9, 1990, he was replaced by Kiço Mustaqi as Minister of Defense.

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