Yesterday (25.01.2024) the government of North Macedonia led by Dimitar Kovacevski resigned to pave the way for the formation of the technical government. This is the first time that an Albanian, Talat Xhaferi, will be in charge of the Republic of North Macedonia.

But who is the Albanian prime minister who will govern North Macedonia?

Talat Xhaferi was born on April 15, 1962 in Gostivar, Republic of North Macedonia. In 1981, he enrolled in the Military Academy of the Ground Forces – infantry department, and attended classes in Belgrade and Sarajevo. From 1996 to 1998, he devoted himself to post-graduate studies, specializing in command and staff duties at the Skopje Military Academy, while in 2013, he earned a master’s degree, after successfully defending his thesis at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Skopje.

He began his career in the armed forces in 1985, initially in the People’s Army of Yugoslavia (APJ), with the independence of Macedonia, he returned to his homeland and joined the Macedonian Army, being a senior officer and after a period he was elected commander of the infantry units in the barracks of Tetova.

On April 28, 2001, in the armed conflict in Macedonia between the Macedonian security forces and the KLA, Xhaferi left the ranks of the Macedonian Army and joined the ranks of the KLA.

In this period, he was known by the nickname Commander Forina. During the years of involvement in politics in the ranks of DUI, being elected deputy, deputy minister of defense in 2008 and minister of defense in February 2013.

In a statement to the media, while accepting the handover of the function of the Minister of Defense, Xhaferi stated that his goal will be “to make the armed forces a symbol of coexistence, tolerance and respect for differences”.

In 2016, for the fifth time, he was elected a deputy in the Assembly, while in 2017, he was elected Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia. On August 21, 2020, after his sixth term as a deputy, he again gained the trust of the majority of the deputies of the Assembly and was elected Speaker of the legislative chamber.

Talat Xhaferi speaks Albanian, Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian and English.

In November 2016 – Presidential Medal of Merit awarded by the President of the Republic of Kosovo for contribution and national activity.