Rexhep Meidani
Albania
Member as of 2016
Rexhep Meidani was the President of Albania from 1997 to 2002. He has been a member of the Academy of Sciences in Albania since 2003 and a foreign member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 2015.
He was the chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Albania from 1991 to 1992. He also served as the chairman of the Board of the Albanian Center for Human Rights from 1994 to 1996. He was the General Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1996 to 1997, and he became the Deputy of Parliament in July 1997. He was also a member of the Albanian Committee for Understanding and Cooperation in the Balkans from 1986 to 1990; Virtual Embassy (ICDC) in Latin America (Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina) in 2006; and was the co-leader of the mission in the International Observer Delegation to the Palestinian Legislative Council Elections (Jerusalem, Palestine), 2006.
Meidani has a distinguished teaching career; he taught, lectured, and conducted research in different universities and institutions in Albania and other countries, such as France, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom. He has received numerous general and academic awards, including the Great Cross of Salvation, Greece in 1998; the National Order “Golden Star of Romania” (Ordinul National “Steaua Romanici” in Grand de Colan), Bucharest, Romani in 1999; the Golden Key of the City Worcester, Massachusetts, USA; the Jan Masaryk Medal, University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic in 2001; and the Chancellor’s International Medallion of Distinction, New Orleans University, New Orleans, USA in 2002.