Who is Talat Xhaferi – the first Albanian at the helm of the Government in Skopje, a former member of the "Macedonian KLA"

Talat Xhaferi was elected today as the President of the interim government of North Macedonia, becoming the first Albanian at the helm of the Government in Skopje.

He is also known for something that, at least officially, he prefers to omit from his biography – his affiliation with the National Liberation Army, known as the "Macedonian KLA", which initiated an armed conflict in North Macedonia in 2001.

Born on April 15, 1962, in the village of Forino near Gostivar in North Macedonia, Xhaferi attended military high school in Belgrade and later the Military Academy, receiving his education in Belgrade and Sarajevo. After graduating, he obtained the rank of second lieutenant.

According to his official biography on the Macedonian Parliament's website, he began his military career in 1985, initially in the Yugoslav People's Army. After Macedonia gained independence in 1992, he served as an active officer in the Army of the Republic of Macedonia until 2001, when he joined the Albanian paramilitary formation, the National Liberation Army.

His official biography provides limited information about this period, but it is known that Xhaferi was one of the commanders of the Albanian rebels who sparked an armed conflict in 2001 by attacking the security forces of North Macedonia.

His 116th brigade conducted military operations in Gostivar, but little else is known about his activities.

The conflict lasted almost the entire year, resulting in the loss of several dozen Macedonian soldiers and police officers' lives. The outcome was the signing of the Ohrid Agreement, which guaranteed greater rights to the Albanians.

The conflict ended with international mediation, and the National Liberation Army handed over its weapons to NATO. The state granted amnesty to Xhaferi and his fellow fighters.

The political leader of the separatist organization National Liberation Army was Ali Ahmeti, the current leader of Xhaferi's party, the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), which has become the most popular political party among the Albanians in North Macedonia.

In 2002, Xhaferi began his political career by running for a Member of Parliament from the ranks of the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI). He was elected as a Member of Parliament and coordinator of the parliamentary group of the party.

In December 2004, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense, a position he held until 2006.

Two years later, he was again elected as a Member of Parliament for the DUI, as well as in 2011. During his third parliamentary term, he drew public attention by blocking the adoption of the then-controversial Defense Law with marathon speeches.

On February 18, 2013, Xhaferi was appointed Minister of Defense, triggering a strong reaction from Macedonian veterans of the 2001 conflict, who threatened protests because the minister was a person who had fought against them as the commander of the NLA.

Xhaferi stated that his goal was to transform the armed forces into a "symbol of coexistence, tolerance, and respect for diversity".

In the next elections in 2016, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the fifth time, and on April 28, 2017, he was elected as the President of the Assembly of North Macedonia, with a majority formed by SDSM and DUI.

Even this election did not go without a reaction, as it was the immediate cause of unrest in the Macedonian Parliament.

Citizens gathered in front of the Assembly, opposing the decision of the SDSM leader at the time, Zoran Zaev, to form a majority with Albanian parties. Some individuals entered the parliament after Xhaferi's election. The police intervened, resulting in more than 100 injuries, including civilians and police officers.

Taking over the position of the President of the Assembly on May 3, Xhaferi brought two Albanian flags into the cabinet, which again unsettled the Macedonian public.

However, he soon removed them, reportedly doing so at the request of the party leader, DUI President Ali Ahmeti, whom some ambassadors warned it was an unnecessary provocation.

Xhaferi was re-elected as the President of the Macedonian Parliament in 2020, and now, as agreed, he will lead the technical government in the last 100 days before the elections, with the main task of preparing everything for voters to cast their ballots on May 8.