Riza Sapunxhiu

Riza Sapunxhiu (15 March 1925 – 6 September 2008) was a Kosovar communist politician and economist. He served as deputy prime minister and prime minister of Kosovo prior to becoming its representative in the Yugoslav Presidency.

Riza Sapunxhiu
6th Prime Minister of Kosovo
In office May 1980 – May 1982
Preceded by	Bahri Oruçi
Succeeded by	Ymer Pula
Personal details
Born	(1925-03-15)15 March 1925 Peć, Kingdom of SCS (now Kosovo)^[a]
Died	6 September 2008(2008-09-06) (aged 83) Peja, Kosovo^[a]
Nationality	Yugoslav of Albanian ethnicity
Political party	League of Communists of Kosovo

Born in Peć, Sapunxhiu was an ethnic Albanian. From 1980 to 1982, he served as prime minister of Kosovo.[1] In 1981, he headed the Kosovar delegation in a historical visit to Albania. This visit paved the way for closer relations between Albania and the Albanian community in Kosovo and the rest of Yugoslavia.[2]

As a successful economist, in 1982, Sapunxhiu became an official at the World Bank.[3]

When the Yugoslav crisis began, he supported the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia but did not effectually vote, though he was registered as voting pro. Nevertheless, the state of emergency was not declared due to opposition by other members of the presidency.[4]

Notes and references

a.

^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

1. From 1988 to 1991 he served as president of yugoslavia Worlds Statesmen - Yugoslavia
2. A New Right In Albanian-Kosovar Relations
3. Kosovo: CHAPTER ONE
4. Broadcast Yourself on YouTube

Preceded by Sinan Hasani	Kosovar member of the Yugoslav Presidency 15 May 1989 – 20 March 1991	Succeeded by Sejdo Bajramović
Preceded by Bahri Oruçi	Prime Minister of Kosovo 1980–1982	Succeeded by Imer Pula