Ilir Rexhep Meta (Albanian pronunciation:[iliɾmeta]; born 24 March 1969) is an Albanian politician. He served as the president of Albania from 24 July 2017 to 24 July 2022.[1]
On 28 April 2017, Meta was elected President of Albania, receiving 87 votes from the 140 Members of Parliament.[3] On 9 June 2021, he was formally impeached by the Albanian parliament in a 104 to 7 vote making him the first Albanian president in history to be impeached by parliament.[4] On 16 February 2022 the Constitutional Court of Albania overturned the impeachment and ruled that the accusations against him did not violate the constitution.[5]
Early life and education
Ilir Meta was born in Çepan, Skrapar. He graduated at the Faculty of Economics and Politics branch of the University of Tirana, where he also pursued his post-graduate studies.
Political career
Meta has been engaged in politics since 1990, after the fall of communism in Albania, as an active participant in the students' movement against one-party rule, which brought political pluralism in Albania. Since 1992 he has been elected Member of Parliament in all legislatures, and has been an active member of several Parliamentary Commissions. From 1996 to 1997 he was Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission of Parliament.
From October 1998 to October 1999, Meta was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Coordination, as well as State Secretary for European Integration in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March–October 1998.[citation needed]
Meta became Prime Minister on 29 October 1999. At age 30 he was the second-youngest prime minister in Albanian history after Zog I, who was 27 at the time of his election in 1922. Following the 2001 parliamentary election, he initially remained Prime Minister. The President of Albania, Rexhep Meidani, approved the Government of Albania on 7 September 2001. Five days afterward, the government gave a vote of confidence to Meta's Cabinet. However, the formation of the new cabinet took almost three months.[7] On 29 January 2002, Meta announced his resignation as Prime Minister due to party infighting between the Socialist Party leader Fatos Nano and himself. Pandeli Majko was elected Prime Minister on 22 February 2002.
With the formation of the new government led by Democratic Party chairman Sali Berisha, Meta became the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the same time.[10] He was an early and vocal campaigner for the visa-free with the Schengen Area, which was accomplished in 2010. He remains one of the most vocal campaigners and advocates of regional and European integration for all countries of the Western Balkans, as a means to further strengthen stability and peace in the region.[citation needed]
Meta with Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in Skopje, 22 November 2018Meta with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in Jerusalem, 23 January 2020Ilir Meta's visit to Israel's IDFHome Front Command thanking them for their earthquake relief assistance, January 2020
On 28 April 2017, Meta was electedPresident of the Republic of Albania at the fourth ballot with 87 votes out of 140. He took office on 24 July 2017. In the ceremony, he was accompanied solely by his children, as his wife Monika Kryemadhi refused the title of First Lady because of her political engagement as leader of the party her husband founded, with their daughter, Era Meta, serving as the de facto First Lady.
On 26 November 2019, an earthquake struck the Durrës region of Albania, killing 51 people, injuring 3,000 others, and damaging 11,000 buildings.[13] In January 2020, Meta met with Israel Defense Forces soldiers in Israel, and thanked them for their assistance in earthquake relief efforts,[14] awarding the Albanian Golden Medal of the Eagle to the soldiers' unit.[14]
As was the case with his predecessor, during his term of office his main focus has been the European integration process of Albania and global challenges affecting Albania. Meta has underscored the willingness of Albanians to strengthen its bilateral strategic partnerships with all partner countries in the areas of security and NATO.[15]
Impeachment
On 9 June 2021, Meta was impeached by the Albanian parliament for violating the constitution and discharged from the post of president. The parliament accused him of being biased and partisan during the April 2021 parliamentary elections, and of inciting violence and instability.[16] The motion was put forward by the ruling Socialist Party of Albania and 104 MP's voted for his impeachment.[17] On 16 February 2022 the Constitutional Court of Albania overturned the impeachment and ruled that the accusations against him did not violate the constitution.[5] As such, Meta continued as President until the expiration of his term on 24 July 2022.[18]
Controversies
Videotaped bribe scandal
On 11 January 2011, the TV programme Fiks Fare on Top Channel broadcast a videotape recorded by hidden camera in the Ministry of Economy containing conversations between the Economy Minister at the time Dritan Prifti and then Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta. The videotape starts with Meta asking Prifti to intervene in a concession tender for the hydropower plant Egnatia-Shushicë in exchange for €700,000 and 7% of the shares. It then shows Meta requesting Prifti to award the auction for the sale of crude oil to Halilaj Holding Group in exchange for €1 million.[19]
Meta then continues by asking Prifti to hire activists from their party, the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) at the time now renamed Freedom Party (PL). The party was the junior government partner in the government of then Prime Minister Sali Berisha, and controlled the ministries of Economy, Foreign Affairs and Health.[20]
Meta is overheard bragging that because he is on good terms with Chief Justice Shpresa Becaj, after having hired her daughter as a diplomat at an embassy he can influence the decision of the court. He then asks Prifti to keep the affair quiet because he is afraid the prosecutor’s office might open an investigation if it learns about it.[21]
This forced him to resign as deputy Prime Minister of Albania, even though he claimed innocence.[22][23]
Following our previous requests and proposals, but especially being encouraged by the most recent denunciation that came to the institution on the purity of the image of one of the highest personalities of the state, former president of the Republic, Ilir Metaj… it turns out that he actually appears in the documents created by the former State Intelligence Structure
Two former commissions were established to run background checks on politicians and their ties to the communist regime awarded Meta a “purity certificate”.[24]
Meta also denied the claims and slammed the Authority for Information on Former State Security Documents, calling it the “Manipulations Authority”.[25]
Lobbying
Kronen Zeitung published an article in which Meta is accused of lobbying via a shell company, the article claims Meta paid $700,000 through a Cypriot shell company to gain access to the Inauguration of Donald Trump.[26] On 20 January 2017 Meta shared a photo of himself and SMI leader Petrit Vasili at social media during the inauguration of Donald Trump in Capitol, Washington, D.C.
Meta claims to have been invited by the Republican Party, but according to a US court documents, "$700,000 of a lawyer (who is) close to Meta went through the off shore company Dorelita Limited. Socialist Movement for Integration signed a contract with the alleged lawyer a few weeks prior the Inauguration.[27]
Personal life
Meta is a Bektashi, and adherent to traditional Bektashian values.[28] He is fluent in Albanian, English and Italian.[29] He is an ardent supporter of Celtic FC, often showing his passion for the club on social media. In July 2020, he founded the first Celtic Supporters Club in Albania.[30]
Meta has been married to Monika Kryemadhi since October 1998.[31] They have two daughters and a son.
In March 2012, Meta received "Most Positive Personality for 2010 in Foreign Policy" award by International Institute "IFIMES" in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The award was presented to Meta by former President of Croatia, Stjepan Mesić, who was at the same time the Honorary President of "IFIMES".[29]
Meta has also been honored by several cities and regions of Albania with the title “Honorary Citizen".[29]
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