Bajram Rexhepi

2025-07-12T16:30:07Z

37.188.222.5: linked Hashim Thaçi

{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Bajram Rexhepi (2004-03-11) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Rexhepi in 2004
| name = Bajram Rexhepi
| office1 = Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo
| term_start1 = 1 April 2010
| term_end1 = 12 December 2014
| predecessor1 = [[Zenun Pajaziti]]
| successor1 = [[Skënder Hyseni]]
| office2 = 1st [[Prime Minister of Kosovo#UN-administered Kosovo|Prime Minister of Kosovo]]
| term_start2 = 4 March 2002
| term_end2 = 3 December 2004
| predecessor2 = [[Bujar Bukoshi]]
| successor2 = [[Ramush Haradinaj]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1954|6|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Mitrovica, Kosovo|Mitrovica]], [[Socialist Republic of Serbia|PR Serbia]], [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|FPR Yugoslavia]]<br />{{small|(now [[Kosovo]])}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|8|21|1954|6|3|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]]
| party = [[Democratic Party of Kosovo]] (2001–2014)
| signature = Bajram Rexhepi (nënshkrim).svg
}}
'''Bajram Rexhepi''' (3 June 1954 – 21 August 2017), was a [[Kosovo|Kosovar]] politician who served as the first elected post-war [[Prime Minister of Kosovo|prime minister]] and later as interior minister of [[Kosovo]] and as a member of the [[Kosovo Assembly]]. He was a member of the second largest political party in Kosovo, the [[Democratic Party of Kosovo]] (PDK).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/infoBios/setimes/resource_centre/bio-archive/rexhepi_bajram|title=Bajram Rexhepi - Prime Minister of Kosovo|website=Setimes.com|accessdate=28 January 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213152031/http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/infoBios/setimes/resource_centre/bio-archive/rexhepi_bajram|archivedate=13 February 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Rexhepi was born in [[Mitrovica, Kosovo|Mitrovica]], [[Kosovo]] on 3 June 1954. He graduated from the [[University of Pristina (1969–99)|University of Prishtina]] and completed his postgraduate studies at the [[University of Zagreb]] in 1985.

==Early career==
Rexhepi spent most of his career working as a surgeon and achieved fame as the best surgeon for [[circumcisions]] in the Mitrovica region. During the 1999 [[Kosovo War]], Rexhepi joined the [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] (KLA) and spent three months serving as a field doctor. He served as mayor of the Albanian section of [[Mitrovica, Kosovo|Mitrovica]], working with [[United Nations]] and [[Kosovo Force|NATO peacekeepers]] to implement ideas to diminish the civil unrest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/18/world/shock-of-kosovo-violence-may-prove-incentive-for-peace.html?pagewanted=2|title=Shock of Kosovo Violence May Prove Incentive for Peace|first=Carlotta|last=Gall|website=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=30 July 2018}}</ref>

==Prime minister==
{{main|Cabinet of Bajram Rexhepi}}
In the [[2001 Kosovan parliamentary election|general elections]] of November 2001 in Kosovo, Rexhepi's party won 25.7 percent of the votes, second only to [[Ibrahim Rugova]]'s [[Democratic League of Kosovo]] (LDK), and Rexhepi was appointed prime minister by the [[Assembly of Kosovo]] on 4 March 2002.

Bajram Rexhepi was a compromise candidate to lead the broad-coalition government with the support of all parties represented in parliament. LDK declined to support Rexhepi's party leader, [[Hashim Thaçi]], as a potential prime minister; other parties declined to enter into a smaller coalition with LDK. Ultimately, parties reached a political agreement whereby Rugova was elected president and Rexhepi appointed the first post-war prime minister.

With key powers reserved for the UN administration, Rexhepi's cabinet included nine ministers as follows:<ref>{{cite web | url=https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/pressrels/2002/unmikpr699.html | title=Kosovo Provisional Self Government Formed |website=unisvienna.org |date=4 March 2002}}</ref>

* Ali Sadria (LDK), Economy and Finance
* Ali Jakupi (PDK), Trade and Industry
* Rexhep Osmani (LDK), Education, Science and Technology
* Behxhet Brajshori (LDK), Culture, Youth, Sports and Non-Resident Affairs
* Zef Morina (PShDK), Transport and Communications
* Ahmet Jusufi (AAK), Labor and Social Welfare
* Et'hem Çeku (AAK), Spatial Planning
* [[Jakup Krasniqi]] (PDK), Public Services
* Numan Balić (SDA), Health

In the following [[2004 Kosovan parliamentary election|general elections]], held on 24 October 2004, the Democratic Party of Kosovo came second and won 30 seats in the parliament.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

==Minister of Interior==
On 1 April 2010, Rexhepi was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, replacing [[Zenun Pajaziti]]. On 22 February 2011 the Assembly confirmed Rexhepi in his post within the new Cabinet led by Prime Minister [[Hashim Thaçi]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140925142447/http://www.kryeministri-ks.com/?page=1%2C9%2C1829 "Composition of new cabinet government of the Republic of Kosovo, led by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci"]}}</ref>

==Post-politics, illness, and death==
Rexhepi left politics in 2014 to resume his career as a surgeon. In April 2017, Rexhepi suffered multiple strokes, which left him in a coma. After several days of treatment in [[Kosovo]], Rexhepi was sent for further treatment in [[Turkey]]. On 21 August 2017, Rexhepi died at a hospital in [[Istanbul]] at the age of 63.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://illyriapress.com/vdes-ish-kryeministri-i-kosoves-bajram-rexhepi|title=Vdes ish-kryeministri i Kosovës, Bajram Rexhepi|language=Albanian|website=Illyria Press|date=21 August 2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
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{{succession box | before = [[Bujar Bukoshi]] | title = [[Prime Minister of Kosovo]] |years=2002–2004| after = [[Ramush Haradinaj]]}}
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{{KosovanPrimeMinisters}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rexhepi, Bajram}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Mitrovica, Kosovo]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of Kosovo]]
[[Category:Kosovo Albanians]]
[[Category:Democratic Party of Kosovo politicians]]
[[Category:Interior ministers of Kosovo]]
[[Category:Kosovan Muslims]]
[[Category:Kosovan surgeons]]
[[Category:Yugoslav surgeons]]
[[Category:Mayors of Mitrovica (Kosovo)]]

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Bajram Rexhepi