Ali Lajçi (3 January 1955 – 28 April 2024) was a politician in Kosovo. He was the mayor of Peja from 2001 to 2007 and has served in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo. At different times in his career, Lajçi has been a member of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), and Vetëvendosje (VV).
Early life and activism Lajçi was born to a Kosovo Albanian family in the village of Malaj in the Rugova region of the Peja municipality, in what was then the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija in the People's Republic of Serbia, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. He was a prominent student organizer during the 1981 protests in Kosovo. Commenting on the protests more than three decades later, he said that organizers such as himself had openly called for a Republic of Kosovo, and he objected to Azem Vllasi's contention that they were motivated by Marxism-Leninism or were supported by Enver Hoxha's Albania."Lajçi: Demonstrata e vitit 1981 – demonstratë kombëtare për Kosovën Republikë", Telegrafi, 2015, accessed 17 March 2024.
Lajçi was arrested by Serbian authorities in 1981 for his role in the protests and was incarcerated until 1991. Amnesty International considered him a political prisoner.Yugoslavia: Ethnic Albanians – Trial by Truncheon, Amnesty International, February 1994, p. 7, accessed 17 March 2024.
Politician Democratic League of Kosovo 1990s parallel institutions Most Kosovo Albanians boycotted Serbian political institutions in the 1990s and operated within their own "parallel" structures. Lajçi was elected to Kosovo's parallel assembly in the 1992 Kosovan general election."Kuvendi i Kosovës, si dukej në qershorin e vitit 1992", Illyria, 9 June 2017, accessed 11 March 2024. In 1993, he was again arrested by Serbian authorities on charges of failure to report a crime; this related to suggestions that he was aware of the establishment of Albanian paramilitary units in Kosovo. He was released on 25 November 1993.Yugoslavia: Ethnic Albanians – Trial by Truncheon, Amnesty International, February 1994, p. 7, accessed 17 March 2024.
Lajçi sought re-election to the parallel assembly in 1998, although online sources do not clarify if he was successful. He was a member of the Democratic League of Kosovo in this period.
Mayor of Peja (2001–07) Serbia lost effective control over most of Kosovo after the end of the Kosovo War (1998–99), and a new administration was established in the province under the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Lajçi appeared in the twelfth position on the LDK's electoral list for Peja in the 2000 Kosovan local elections and received the most votes of any party candidate. The LDK won a majority of seats, and he was chosen as mayor when the local assembly convened in January 2001.Zgjedhjet për Kuvende Komunale 2000 – Fletëvotimet dhe listat e kandidatëve (Pejë – Lista e kandidatëve) , Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 13 January 2022.ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2000 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Kandidatët e zgjedhur sipas subjekteve) , Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 22 January 2022."Serb councillor in Pec takes oath in front of Albanian, UN flags," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European – Political, 29 January 2001 (Source: Kosovapress news agency web site, Pristina, in Albanian 25 Jan 01).
In March 2002, he indicated that Peja authorities would only support the return of Serb refugees to the area if Serbian authorities met various conditions, including the release of prisoners, information on missing persons, and the reconstruction of houses destroyed in the war. He also said that Serbs would need to "recognize the new reality in Kosova [Kosovo]" before his government could guarantee their security."Ethnic Albanian officials oppose return of Serb refugees," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European – Political, 20 March 2002 (Source: Koha Ditore, Pristina, in Albanian 19 Mar 02 p 4). On another occasion, he said that "hatred of the Albanians against the Serbs" in Peja was "more tenacious than elsewhere in Kosovo" and would take time to subside.Jean-Eudes Barbier, "Pec, bastion du radicalisme albanais, n'est pas pressé de revoir les Serbes," Agence France-Presse, 11 October 2003.
He appeared in the lead position on the LDK list for Peja in the 2002 local elections. The party won a significant plurality victory, and he was confirmed afterward for another term as mayor.ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2002 – Fletëvotimet dhe listat e kandidatëve (Pejë), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 18 January 2022.Zgjedhjet për Kuvende Komunale 2002 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e subjekteve sipas komunave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 4 February 2022.Skënder Mulliqi, "Pse Ali Lajçi duhet të jetë kandidat i LV për kryetar të Pejës?", Bota Sot, 17 December 2020, accessed 13 March 2024.
He condemned Serbian deputy prime minister Nebojša Čović's visit to Peja's Serb enclave of Goraždevac in 2003, saying the visit would incite local tensions and hinder his administration's efforts to "integrate all minorities in our society.""Local official condemns Deputy Premier Covic's visit to Serb enclave in Kosovo," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 24 December 2003.
Lajçi withdrew his previous opposition to the construction of new homes for returning Serbs in 2004 and said that he would cooperate with UNMIK authorities on the project."Kosovo: Pec mayor accepts plans for building new houses for Serbs," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 17 August 2004 (Source: KosovaLive web site, Pristina, in Albanian 16 Aug 04). In February 2005, he met with representatives of the local Serb refugee community. On this occasion, he reiterated his view that Serb returnees would need to integrate into the broader society of Kosovo."Kosovo: Displaced Serbs from Pec meet local authorities to discuss return home," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 11 February 2005 (Source: KosovaLive web site, Pristina, in Albanian 10 Feb 05).
In March 2007, Lajçi rejected any possibility of the Patriarchate of Peć receiving extraterritoriality status."Kosovo mayor rejects granting Serbian church exterritoriality status in Pec," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 8 March 2007 (Source: KosovaLive website, Pristina, in English 7 Mar 07). Two months later, he attended a public meeting organized by the Vetëvendosje movement (which was not yet a political party) protesting the construction of a wall around the monastery."Kosovo movement flaming discontent against Serbian Orthodox Church," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 21 May 2007 (Source: RTK TV, Pristina, in Albanian 1730 gmt 19 May 07). He refused to grant a licence for the wall, contending that it was on public land rather than church property."Kosovo Serb monastic community insists perimeter wall needed for protection," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 23 May 2007 (Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 0952 gmt 21 May 07).
LDK leadership contest (2006) The LDK became divided into various factions after the death of party founder Ibrahim Rugova in January 2006. Lajçi was a declared candidate to become Rugova's successor but did not receive enough support to appear on the ballot at the party's December 2006 convention, which elected Fatmir Sejdiu as leader.Ina Koxha, "Fatmir Sejdiu pasardhesi i Rugovës edhe ne LDK, zgjidhet kryetar," Radio Television of Kosovo, 9 December 2006. A month before the leadership convention, a chaotic scene broke out at a LDK meeting in Peja when Lajçi had a verbal confrontation with Kosovo government minister Melihate Tërmkolli over the credentials and family connections of some LDK delegates. Some of Lajçi's supporters at one point threatened Tërmkolli, who was protected by her bodyguards and had to be escorted from the building."Kosovo minister, mayor clash at party convention," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 15 November 2006 (Source: Koha Ditore, Pristina, in Albanian 13 Nov 06).
Assembly member (2007–11) Lajçi appeared in the eighth position on the LDK's electoral list for the 2007 Kosovan parliamentary election, which was the first to be held under open list proportional representation. He finished eleventh among the party's candidates and was elected when the list won twenty-five seats.ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVEND TË REPUBLIKËS SË KOSOVËS 2007 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e të gjithë kandidatëve), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 23, accessed 15 January 2022. The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) won the election and formed a coalition government with the LDK, and Lajçi served as a government supporter. He was a member of the committee on public administration, local government, and media, and the committee on agriculture, forestry, rural development, and environmental spatial planning.Periudha e tretë Legjislative (13.12.2007 - 03.11.2010) – Komisionet, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 17 March 2024. He was a sitting member of the assembly in February 2008, when Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia.
Lajçi had a fraught relationship with the LDK leadership in these years. He addressed several criticisms to the LDK presidency in October 2008, when Blerim Kuçi resigned as the party's chief executive officer on Sejdiu's request."Kosovo LDK party presidency approves chief executive Kuci's resignation," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 31 October 2008 (Source: KosovaLive website, Pristina, in English 30 Oct 08). In June 2010, Lajçi signed a petition from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo calling for an investigation into whether Sejdiu was violating Kosovo's constitution by simultaneously holding office as Kosovo president and LDK leader."Kosovo MPs challenge constitutionality of president holding two offices," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 24 June 2010 (Source: Express, Pristina, in Albanian 23 Jun 10 p 6). There was media speculation in this period that Lajçi would himself join the AAK."Kosovo ex-ruling party official gives reasons for joining opposition," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 12 May 2010 (Source: Express, Pristina, in Albanian 10 May 10 pp 4, 5).
These rumours notwithstanding, Lajçi remained in the LDK for the 2010 parliamentary election, appearing in the twenty-second position on its electoral list. He finished in thirty-second place and was not re-elected when the list won twenty-seven seats.ZGJEDHJET E PARAKOHSHME PËR KUVENDIN E REPUBLIKËS SË KOSOVËS 2010 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e të gjithë kandidatëve), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 30, accessed 2 February 2022.
Lajçi resigned from the LDK in July 2011, describing the party leadership as "communists.""Highlights from Kosovo press 2-5 Jul 11," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 6 July 2011.
Alliance for the Future of Kosovo