Ramiz Alia
| Ramiz Alia | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 1st President of Albania | |
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In office 30 April 1991 – 3 April 1992 |
|
| Preceded by | Himself as Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly |
| Succeeded by | Sali Berisha |
| Chairman of the Presidium of the Albanian People's Assembly | |
|
In office 22 November 1982 – 30 April 1991 |
|
| Preceded by | Haxhi Lleshi |
| Succeeded by | Himself as President |
| First Secretary of the Party of Labor of Albania | |
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In office 13 April 1985 – 4 May 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Enver Hoxha |
| Succeeded by | End of Communist rule |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
18 October 1925 Shkodër, Albanian Republic (now Albania) |
| Died | 7 October 2011 (aged 85) Tirana, Albania |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Political party |
Party of Labour (1961–1991) Socialist Party (1991–2011) |
| Spouse(s) | Semiramis Alia (1928–1986) |
Ramiz Tafë Alia (18 October 1925 – 7 October 2011) was the second and last Communist leader of Albania from 1985 to 1991, and the country's head of state from 1982 to 1992. He had been designated as successor by Enver Hoxha and took power after Hoxha died. Alia died on 7 October 2011 in Tirana due to lung disease, aged 85. He was the first President of Albania from 1991 to 1992.
Alia was born on 18 October 1925. His parents were from Gheg clan and they fled Kosovo during the Balkan Wars. He grew up and spent his childhood in Tirana. In the early part of World War II Alia was a member of a Fascist youth organization but joined the underground Albanian Communist Youth Organization in 1941. In 1943, he became a member of the Albanian Communist Party. He had risen rapidly under Hoxha's patronage and by 1961 was a full member of the ruling Political Bureau (Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania).
Hoxha chose Alia for several reasons. First, Alia had long been a militant follower of Marxism-Leninism and supported Hoxha's policy of national self-reliance. Alia also was favored by Hoxha's wife Nexhmije, who had once been his instructor at the Institute of Marxism-Leninism. His political experience was similar to that of Hoxha; and inasmuch as he appeared to share Hoxha's views on most foreign and domestic issues, he accommodated himself to the totalitarian mode of ruling.
After World War II, Alia resumed his duties in the Communist Youth Organization, and at the First Congress of the Albanian Party of Labor in November 1948, he was elected to its Central Committee and was assigned to the department of agitation and propaganda. When he succeeded Hoxha in 1985, the country was in grave difficulty. Political apathy and cynicism were pervasive, with large segments of the population having rejected the government's values. The economy, which suffered from low productivity and permanent shortages of the most basic foodstuffs, showed no sign of improvement. Social controls and self-discipline had eroded. The intelligentsia was beginning to resist strict party controls and to criticize the government's failure to observe international standards of human rights. Apparently recognizing the depth and extent of the societal malaise, Alia cautiously and slowly began to make changes in the system. His first target was the economic system. In an effort to improve economic efficiency, Alia introduced some economic decentralization and price reform in specific sectors.
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