Rexhep Meidani, President of the Republic of Albania from 1997 to 2002, physicist, professor, and academic, was born in Tirana. He completed high school and higher studies at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Tirana, graduating in 1966. He was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of Tirana the same year. He completed his postgraduate studies in France at the University of Cannes and the University of Paris XI, where he defended his doctorate on “Cikli i tretë në fizikën e trupit të ngurtë” (“Third Cycle in Solid State Physics”) from 1973 to 1976. He continued his teaching and research activities at the University of Tirana, serving as a lecturer, head of department (1986–1990, 1992–1996), and dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences (1988–1992), contributing to the development of the teaching process and scientific activity, especially in theoretical physics, including quantum mechanics, static physics, and solid-state physics. He published several monographs and numerous articles in scientific journals, both domestically and internationally, including the monograph “Mbi lëvizjen fizike” (“On Physical Movement”) (1985) and the postgraduate text “Bazat teoriko-konceptuale të fizikës” (“Theoretical-Conceptual Foundations of Physics”) (1997). He delivered a series of lectures at the University of Pristina and various foreign universities, some of which awarded him the title of “Doctor honoris causa,” including institutions in Istanbul, Thessaloniki, Sofia, Rome, Brixport (USA), and Portsmouth (England). Following the political changes in Albania, Rexhep Meidani became active in political and social life, contributing to the democratic processes that began in the country. In December 1990, he was appointed chairman of the Central Commission for the first pluralist elections and served as Secretary General of the Socialist Party from 1996 to 1997. He was elected a deputy in the Albanian Parliament in the June 1997 elections and became President of the Republic of Albania in July 1997. In recent years, he published numerous articles on the issues surrounding Kosovo and developments in the region and in Albania. He received the “Award of the Republic” of the Second Degree and various orders and medals from foreign institutions. (In the photo: Rexhep Meidani)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1680.
Photo: © https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rexhep_Meidani
Graphic processing: AHCF
