Ibrahim Rugova

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Ibrahim Rugova (2003) Signature of Ibrahim Rugova

Ibrahim Rugova (born December 2, 1944 in Crnce , Kingdom of Yugoslavia , † January 21, 2006 in Pristina , Kosovo ) was a Kosovar politician , writer and from March 4, 2002 until his death President of Kosovo . In the West he was a symbol of the non-violent struggle of the Kosovar Albanians for the independence of their country .

Life

Ibrahim Rugova was born into a wealthy Kosovar Albanian family. His father Ukë Rugova and his grandfather Rrustë Rugova were accused of collaborating with Nazi Germany and were subsequently executed by communist partisans in the last days of the Second World War . Rugova grew up as an only child with his mother Sofë.

Rugova studied philosophy and received a PhD in literature from Prishtina University in 1984 . In 1988 he became President of the Writers' Union of Kosovo . He was co-founder and chairman of Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës (LDK), which in response to the abolition of Kosovo's autonomy by Slobodan Milošević was established in 1989. The people of Albanian origin living in Kosovo proclaimed the independence of Kosovo on July 2, 1990. In an internationally not recognized election, Rugova was elected President of the self-proclaimed "Republic of Kosova" of the Albanians on May 24, 1992, and was confirmed in office in 1998. Under Rugova's leadership, the Kosovar Albanian authorities set up a parallel administrative, health and education system; Rugova himself advocated a non-violent solution to the conflict with Serbia and the principle of passive resistance .

In 1999, after operations by the Serbian army and security forces against the KLA , NATO air raids on Yugoslavia (see Kosovo war ). Rugova was then interned . He appeared on Serbian television in conversation with Slobodan Milošević and spoke out in an interview against the NATO bombing raids. Rugova was able to leave for Italy in early May 1999 and returned to Kosovo in mid-July 1999 after the war was over.

In the free parliamentary elections in Kosovo organized by the United Nations in 2001 , the LDK won the majority; Ibrahim Rugova was not elected provisional president of Kosovo until March 4, 2002 after party conflicts. As such, he pursued a policy of close cooperation with the European Union and the United States . In 2005 he was confirmed in office.

Ibrahim Rugova's grave of honor in the war cemetery in Pristina

On March 15, 2005, Rugova escaped a bomb attack unharmed. On September 5, 2005 it was announced that Rugova, who had been a very heavy smoker for many years of his life, had lung cancer . While he was giving up the chairmanship of the LDK, he continued his presidency until his death on January 21, 2006.

Rugova was buried on January 26, 2006 in Pristina with great sympathy from the population. The Presidents of Slovenia , Croatia , Bosnia-Herzegovina , North Macedonia and Montenegro , the Swiss Federal Councilor and Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey , the Prime Minister of Albania Sali Berisha and the Secretary General of the EU Javier Solana took part in the funeral service .

Most Kosovars refer to him as the father of the nation, even as the " Gandhi of the Balkans". Even Der Spiegel called him the "Gandhi of the Balkans". His confidante Fatmir Sejdiu (LDK) was elected to succeed him in the office of president .

"Rugovist" politics

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Ibrahim Rugova unintentionally developed his own political system, the so-called "Rugovism" . This describes a policy that aims to live in peace with all neighbors and minorities living in the country, to maintain good relations with Western states and to lead a clean, unifying and peaceful policy.

Rugova himself refused, however, to pursue a passive policy or even one in the manner of Mahatma Gandhi. He kept saying that he was striving for a political solution for Kosovo, since the balance of power then - as has been seen - resulted in heavy losses on the Albanian side. In addition, years before the war in Kosovo, he called for international intervention and an international authority to prepare the Kosovars for de facto independence.

Ibrahim Rugova and the UÇK

Ibrahim Rugova officially campaigned for a non-violent solution to the Kosovo conflict, but in the background he did have contacts with leaders of the UÇK who paved the way for a violent uprising. After the war in Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova honored the UÇK leader Adem Jashari, who was killed in 1998, as a national hero.

Writing and intellectual activity

Ibrahim Rugova finished his elementary school in Istog and his secondary school leaving certificate in 1967 in Peć . In 1971 he graduated in Albanology from the Philosophical Faculty in Pristina. From 1976 to 1977 he spent an academic year in Paris at the École pratique des hautes études . In 1984 he received his doctorate in literature in Pristina. For many years he was chairman of the Kosovar Writers' Union.

Works (excerpt)
  • Prekje lirike ( essay , 1971). Rilindja, Pristina.
  • Kah teoria (essay, 1978). Rilindja, Pristina.
  • Strategjia e kuptimit (Essay, 1980). Rilindja, Pristina.
  • Vepra e Bogdanit 1675-1685 (1982). Rilindja, Pristina.
  • Refuzimi estetik (1987). Rilindja, Pristina.

Awards and honors (extract)

Private

Ibrahim Rugova was married to Fana Rugova and had three children, Mendim, Ukë and Teuta Rugova. He was of the Muslim faith.

Rugova attached great importance to the protection of religious minorities and contributed to the religious harmony in Kosovo. In his presidential office there were pictures of his encounters with Pope John Paul II and of Mother Teresa , whom he adored as an Albanian. Rugova also initiated the construction of the Mother Teresa Cathedral in Pristina.

literature

  • Zef Ahmeti: Ibrahim Rugova: A life for peace and freedom in Kosovo . Tredition, Hamburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-7345-8623-1 .

Web links

Commons : Ibrahim Rugova  - album with pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Rugova, Ibrahim
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Yugoslav or Kosovar writer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH December 2, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Crnce, Istok Municipality , Kingdom of Yugoslavia
DATE OF DEATH January 21, 2006
Place of death Pristina , Kosovo