FLASH NEWS
Today is the birthday of former President Rugova.
2025-12-02 10:59:43 / JETË
Ibrahim Rugova was born on December 2, 1944, in the village of Cerce, Istog municipality. On January 10, 1945, Yugoslav communists executed his father, Uka, and grandfather, Rrustë Rugova, who had been a renowned fighter against the Chetnik chetas that were infiltrating Kosovo during World War II.
Ibrahim Rugova completed his primary school in Istog, and his secondary school in Peja, in 1967. He completed the Faculty of Philosophy – Albanian Language and Literature Department in Prishtina. During the academic year 1976-77 he stayed in Paris, at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, under the supervision of Prof. Roland Barthes, where he pursued his scientific interests in the study of literature, with a focus on literary theory. He received his doctorate in the field of literature at the University of Prishtina, in 1984.
In 1996, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was elected a corresponding member of the Kosovo Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was initially an editor of the student newspaper Bota e re and the scientific journal Dituria (1971-72), which were published in Pristina.
For a time he also worked in the magazine Fjala. Then, for nearly two decades, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova developed his scientific activity at the Albanological Institute as a literary researcher. For a time he was the editor-in-chief of the magazine Gjurmime albanologiche of this Institute. He was engaged in literary creativity since the early sixties.
Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was elected president of the Kosovo Writers' Association in 1988, which became a powerful nucleus of the Albanian movement that opposed Serbian and Yugoslav communist rule in Kosovo.
As a renowned intellectual who gave voice to this intellectual and political movement, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was elected, on December 23, 1989, by the founding chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo, the first political party in Kosovo to directly challenge the ruling communist regime. The LDK, under the leadership of Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, quickly became the leading political force in Kosovo, gathering the majority of the people around it.
In cooperation with other Albanian political forces in Kosovo as well as with the then Assembly of Kosovo, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova and the LDK finalized the legal framework for the institutionalization of Kosovo's independence.
The declaration of independence (July 2, 1990), the proclamation of Kosovo as a Republic and the adoption of its constitution (September 7, 1990), the popular referendum on the independence and sovereignty of Kosovo, held at the end of September 1991, were the prelude to the first multi-party elections for the Assembly of Kosovo, held on May 24, 1992. Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was elected President of the Republic of Kosovo. Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was re-elected President of the Republic of Kosovo in the elections held in March 1998.
Under the leadership of Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, the LDK won the majority of votes in the first internationally sponsored local elections in post-war Kosovo in October 2000, as well as in the first national elections in 2001 and the second local elections in 2002. The LDK also won the national elections in 2004.
Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was elected President of Kosovo in March 2002 and was re-elected in 2004.
Dr. Ibrahim Rugova died on 21 January 2006 in Pristina and was buried in the Sunshine Coast with the highest honors from the people of Kosovo.
On the anniversary of Ibrahim Rugova's death, on January 21, 2007, the President of Kosovo, Dr. Fatmir Sejdiu, decorated the historic President of Kosovo with the Order of "Hero of Kosovo", the highest title in our country given to Albanian and Kosovo historical figures who have performed "acts of valor for the freedom and independence of Kosovo".
Ibrahim Rugova has published the following works:
– Lyrical Touch, Rilindja, Prishtina, 1971,
– Towards theory, Rilindja, Prishtina, 1978,
– Bibliography of Albanian literary criticism 1944-1974, Albanological Institute, Prishtina, 1976 (together with Isak Shema),
– Literary Criticism (from De Rada to Migjeni), Rilindja, Prishtina, 1979 (together with Sabri Hamiti),
– The Strategy of Meaning, Rilindja, Prishtina, 1980
– Bogdani's Work 1675-1685, Rilindja, Prishtina, 1982,
– Principles and premises of Albanian literary criticism 1504-1983, Albanological Institute, Prishtina, 1986
– Aesthetic Rejection, Rilindja, Prishtina, 1987,
– Independence and Democracy, Fjala, Prishtina, 1991,
– The Kosovo Issue, Dukagjini, Peja, 1994,
– Complete works of Ibrahim Rugova in eight volumes, Faik Konica, Prishtina, 2005
– In 1995, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was awarded the Paul Litzer Foundation Peace Prize in Denmark.
– In 1996, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was declared an Honorary Doctor (Honoris Causa) of the University of Paris VIII, Sorbonne, France.
– In 1998, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was awarded the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize.
– In 1999, Dr. Rugova received the Peace Prize of the city of Münster, Germany, and was declared an honorary citizen of the Italian cities: Venice, Milan and Brescia.
– In 2000, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova received the “Manuel Carrasco i Formiguerra” Peace Prize of the Democratic Union of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain.
– In 2004, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was awarded the Europe Prize, Honorary Senator by the Pan-European Coudenhove-Kalergi Foundation.
– He was also honored by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (USA), "Friend of the United States of America".
– In 2004, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova was declared an Honorary Doctor (Honoris Causa) of the University of Tirana.
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