Bajram Begaj

Bajram Begaj (born 20 March 1967) is an Albanian politician and retired military officer, who is currently serving as the president of Albania since 24 July 2022. Having had a long career in the Albanian army, he served as the 26th Chief of General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces from July 2020 to June 2022. Although politically independent, on 3 June 2022, Begaj was officially nominated by the governing Socialist Party as the candidate to the fourth round of the 2022 presidential election. Begaj is the fifth president in the history of Albania to have a military background, after Ahmet Zogu, Ramiz Alia, Alfred Moisiu and Bujar Nishani. Early life and career Begaj was born on 20 March 1967, in Rrogozhinë. He graduated from Tirana's Faculty of Medicine in 1989 and became an active medical officer in 1998. Having completed his professional doctorate degree, he holds the title "Associate Professor" in Medicine. During his 31-year military career, Begaj has taken part in numerous training seminars and completed courses in Security and Defense, the Advanced Postgraduate School of Medicine, a Postgraduate Specialization in Gastrohepatology, a Hospital Management Course and Strategic Medical Leadership Course in the United States, a Specialization Course in Medicine and a Health Course in Greece.