Chief of the General Staff (Albania)
Chief of the General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces
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The Chief of the General Staff (Albanian: Shef i Shtabit të Përgjithshëm) is the chief of the General Staff and Albanian Armed Forces. The chief of staff is appointed by the President of Albania, who is the commander-in-chief. The position was established on 4 May 1913 as part of the Provisional Government of Albania.
| Chief of the General Staff | |
|---|---|
| Shef i Shtabit të Përgjithshëm | |
Emblem of the Albanian General Staff | |
 Standard of the Chief of Defence | |
since 3 August 2022 | |
| Member of | General Staff |
| Reports to | Minister of Defence |
| Nominator | Prime Minister |
| Appointer | President |
| Formation | 4 May 1913 |
| First holder | Lt. Colonel Ali Shefqet Shkupi |
List of chiefs of the general staff
Provisional Government of Albania / Principality of Albania
Date of term's end is based on start of successor's term.
| No. | Portrait | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieutenant Colonel Ali Shefqet Shkupi (1883–1953 .svg){kind=small} ) | 4 May 1913 | November 1920 | 7 years, 5 months | [1] | |
| 2 | Brigadier General Ali Riza Kolonja (1880–1930 .svg){kind=small} ) | November 1920 | December 1921 | 1 year, 1 month | [1] | |
| 3 | Major Xhavid Leskoviku (1882–1945?) | December 1921 | June 1923 | 1 year, 6 months | [1] | |
| 4 | Major Bajram Fevziu (1884–1928 .svg){kind=small} )Term ended with dissolution of the Ministry of War | June 1923 | 24 December 1924 | 1 year, 6 months | [1] |
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Albanian Republic / Albanian Kingdom
In 1925, Prime Minister Ahmet Zogolli created a new constitution for Albania, forming the Albanian Republic. On 1 September 1928, Zogolli amended the constitution, dissolved parliament, and proclaimed himself King, creating the Albanian Kingdom. The Kingdom collapsed following the Italian invasion of Albania.
| No. | Portrait | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | President of Albania | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albanian National Army | |||||||
| 5 | Divisional General Gustav von Myrdacz (1874–1945) | 18 January 1925 | 1 September 1928 | 3 years, 227 days | Ahmet Zogolli | [1] | |
| Royal Albanian Army | King of Albania | Ref. | |||||
| (5) | General Gustav von Myrdacz (1874–1945) | 1 September 1928 | 7 April 1939 | 10 years, 218 days | Zog I of Albania | [1] | |
Communist Albania
The following individuals served during the era of communism in Albania, serving the National Liberation Movement, the Democratic Government of Albania, and the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. In this time, the powers of Commander-in-chief were held by the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania.
| No. | Portrait | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | First Secretary | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albanian National Liberation Army | |||||||
| 6 | Major General Spiro Moisiu (1900–1981 .svg) ) | 10 July 1943 | 24 May 1944 | 319 days | Enver Hoxha | [1] | |
| Albanian People's Army | |||||||
| (6) | Major General Spiro Moisiu (1900–1981 )[a] | 24 May 1944 | August 1946 | 2 years, 2 months | Enver Hoxha | [1] | |
| 7 | Colonel General Mehmet Shehu (1913–1981 .svg){kind=small} ) | August 1946 | 28 January 1948 | 1 year, 5 months | Enver Hoxha | [1] | |
| 8 | Lieutenant General Beqir Balluku (1917–1974 .svg){kind=small} )[b] | 28 January 1948 | 1952 | 3–4 years | Enver Hoxha | [1][citation needed] | |
| 9 | Lieutenant General Petrit Dume (1920–1975 .svg){kind=small} ) | 1952 | 1954 | 1–2 years | Enver Hoxha | [1][citation needed] | |
| 10 | Lieutenant General Arif Hasko (1918–1991 .svg){kind=small} ) | 1954 | 1956 | 1–2 years | Enver Hoxha | [1][citation needed] | |
| (9) | Lieutenant General Petrit Dume (1920–1975 )[c][d] | 1956 | July 1974 | 17–18 years | Enver Hoxha | [1][citation needed] | |
| 11 | Sami Meçollari (born 1937) | July 1974 | December 1974 | 5 months | Enver Hoxha | [1][citation needed] | |
| 12 | Veli Llakaj (1935–2011 .svg){kind=small} ) | December 1974 | 13 October 1982 | 7 years, 10 months | Enver Hoxha | [1] | |
| 13 | Kiço Mustaqi (1938–2019 .svg) ) | 13 October 1982 | February 1991 | 8 years, 3 months | Enver Hoxha (1941 – 1985) Ramiz Alia (1985 – 1991) | [1] | |
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Republic of Albania
The following individuals served following the fall of communism in Albania and the formation of the Republic of Albania. The new Albanian constitution shifted the powers of Commander in Chief to the newly formed office of the President of Albania.
| No. | Portrait | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | President of Albania | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Colonel Halim Abazi (born 1944) | February 1991 | June 1991 | 4 months | Ramiz Alia | [1] | |
| 15 | General Kostaq Karoli (1945–2025) | June 1991 | August 1992 | 1 year, 2 months | Ramiz Alia (1991 – 1992) Kastriot Islami (1992 – 1992) Pjetër Arbnori (1992 – 1992) Sali Berisha (1992 – 1997) | [1] | |
| 16 | General Ilia Vasho (born 1944) | August 1992 | 1994 | 1–2 years | Sali Berisha | [1] | |
| 17 | General Sheme Kosova (born 1949) [e] | 1994 | 2 March 1997 | 2–3 years | Sali Berisha | [1] | |
| 18 | Major General Adem Çopani (1944–2018 .svg){kind=small} )[f] | 2 March 1997 | August 1997 | 1 year, 2 months | Sali Berisha (1992 – 1997) Rexhep Meidani (1997 – 2002) | [1] | |
| 19 | Brigadier General Aleks Andoni (born 1956) | September 1997 | 2000 | 2–3 years | Rexhep Meidani | [1] | |
| 20 | General Pëllumb Qazimi (1957– .svg){kind=small} ) | 2000 | 2006 | 5–6 years | Rexhep Meidani (1997 – 2002) Alfred Moisiu (2002 – 2007) | [1] | |
| 21 | Lieutenant General Luan Hoxha (born 1960) | October 2006 | June 2008 | 1 year, 8 months | Alfred Moisiu (2002 – 2007) Bamir Topi (2007 – 2012) | [1] | |
| 22 | Major General Maksim Malaj (1958– .svg) ) | June 2008 | 8 August 2011 | 3 years, 2 months | Bamir Topi | [1] | |
| 23 | Major General Xhemal Gjunkshi (1963– .svg) ) | 8 August 2011 | 8 November 2013 | 2 years, 92 days | Bamir Topi (2007 – 2012) Bujar Nishani (2012 – 2017) | [1][2] | |
| 24 | Major General Jeronim Bazo (born 1960) | 8 November 2013 | January 2017 | 3 years, 1 month | Bujar Nishani | [3] | |
| 25 | Brigadier General Bardhyl Kollçaku (1967– .svg) ) | 28 October 2017 | 29 July 2020 | 2 years, 275 days | Ilir Meta | . | |
| 26 | Major General Bajram Begaj (1967– .svg){kind=small} ) | 29 July 2020 | 4 June 2022 | 1 year, 310 days | Ilir Meta | . | |
| 27 | Lieutenant General Arben Kingji (1970– .svg) ) | 3 August 2022 | Incumbent | 4 years, 7 days | Bajram Begaj | [4] |
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See also
Notes
- Became Chief of the General Staff following the Congress of Përmet.
- Executed for high treason in 1974.
- On 1 May 1966, military ranks were abolished in the Albanian Armed Forces, following the example of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In 1991 the rank system was reestablished under President Ramiz Alia.
- Dismissed and executed for high treason in 1975.
- Dismissed following the Albanian Rebellion of 1997.
- Served during the Albanian Rebellion of 1997.