Fadil Gashi (born 10 June 1968) is a politician and former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander in Kosovo. He was a member of the Assembly of Kosovo from 2004 to 2007 and has served several terms in the local assembly of Klina. Gashi is a member of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).

Early life and career

Gashi was born to a Kosovo Albanian family in the village of Qupevë in Klina, in what was then the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija in the Socialist Republic of Serbia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He trained as a police officer and served in the police force from 1988 to 1990, when he was removed from the position amid growing inter-communal tensions in the province.[1] From 1991 to 1997, he worked in education.[2]

KLA commander

From 1997 to 1999, Gashi was the commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army unit in the village of Sferkë in Klina.[3] In the aftermath of the Kosovo War (1998–99), he was responsible for ensuring his unit's compliance in turning in weaponry to the international peacekeeping body Kosovo Force (KFOR). Media reports from the period describe him as having a good working relationship with KFOR and as co-operating with its requirements.[4]

Politician

Early years in municipal politics (2000–07)

Gashi joined the LDK in 1990, shortly after its formation.

He appeared in the fourteenth position on the party's electoral list for Klina in the 2000 Kosovan local elections.[5] Assembly elections in Kosovo are held under open list proportional representation; Gashi finished third among his party's candidates and was elected when the LDK won a majority victory in Klina with seventeen out of thirty-one seats.[6] He was promoted to the fourth position on the party's list in the 2002 local elections, was re-elected when the list won thirteen seats,[7][8] and served as deputy head of the municipality's executive in the term that followed.[9]

Parliamentarian (2004–07)

Gashi appeared in the forty-fourth position on the LDK's list in the 2004 Kosovan parliamentary election and received a mandate when the list won a plurality victory with forty-seven seats.[10][11] The LDK formed a coalition government with the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) after the election, and Gashi served as a government supporter. He was a member of the security commission and the committee for economy, trade, industry, energy, transport, and communications.[12]

He was given the sixty-seventh position on the LDK's list for the 2007 parliamentary election, finished in seventy-second place, and was not re-elected when the party fell to twenty-five seats.[13]

Since 2007

Gashi was promoted to the lead position on the LDK's list for Klina in the 2007 Kosovan local elections and was re-elected even as the party fell to seven seats.[14][15] He has subsequently led the party's list and been re-elected to the assembly in the 2009,[16][17] 2013,[18][19] 2017,[20][21] and 2021 local elections.[22][23] The LDK has consistently won either five or six seats in the assembly during this time and has often played a "kingmaker" role in local politics. Gashi served as president of the local assembly from 2010 to 2013 and from 2015 to 2017, and in December 2021 he was chosen for his third term in this office.[24][25]

Kosovo introduced the direct election of mayors in 2007. Gashi was the LDK's candidate for mayor of Klina in the 2009 and 2013 local elections and finished third on both occasions. In late 2021, he announced that the LDK would support the candidate of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) in the mayoral runoff vote.[26]

Gashi was appointed as deputy minister for the Kosovo Security Force in July 2015.[27] He stood down from the role in 2017, when the LDK left the Republic of Kosovo's coalition government.

He was given the forty-ninth position on the LDK's list in the 2021 Kosovan parliamentary election, finished sixty-fifth among the list's candidates, and was not elected when the list won fifteen seats.[28]

Gashi's name was mentioned during a KLA trial at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague in late 2023. One witness, a former KLA member, testified that a rival branch of the KLA had ordered him to kill Gashi after Gashi refused to accept Hashim Thaçi's authority. The witness added that he disobeyed the order and instead used a surrogate to warn Gashi of the threat to his life.[29]

Electoral record

Local (Klina)

2013 Kosovan local elections: Mayor of Klina
CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Sokol Bashota (incumbent)Democratic Party of Kosovo7,97642.526,86475.12
Enver BerishaAlliance for the Future of Kosovo4,57524.392,27324.88
Fadil GashiDemocratic League of Kosovo4,46323.79
Prend BuzhalaAlbanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo7463.98
Avni GashiNew Kosovo Alliance5122.73
Hajzer IdriziLevizja Vetëvendosje!3872.06
Filip BerishaChristian Democratic Party of Integration1000.53
Total18,759100.009,137100.00
Source: [30][31]
2009 Kosovan local elections: Mayor of Klina
CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Sokol Bashota (incumbent)Democratic Party of Kosovo6,33236.779,63157.10
Enver BerishaAlliance for the Future of Kosovo5,49031.887,23542.90
Fadil GashiDemocratic League of Kosovo3,80222.08
Zenun ZeqaDemocratic League of Dardania7284.23
Pjetër ColiAlbanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo4792.78
Haki MorinaSocialist Party of Kosovo1600.93
Ibish RraciSocial Democratic Party of Kosovo1280.74
Adem GashiAdem Haxhi Gashi1010.59
Total17,220100.0016,866100.00
Source: [32][33]

References

  1. ↑ William Ickes, "KLA continues to turn over weapons to KFOR," Agence France Presse, 21 July 1999.
  2. ↑ Fadil Gashi, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 December 2004. Retrieved 3 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), Assembly of Kosovo, accessed 3 January 2024.
  3. ↑ Fadil Gashi, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 December 2004. Retrieved 3 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), Assembly of Kosovo, accessed 3 January 2024.
  4. ↑ William Ickes, "KLA continues to turn over weapons to KFOR," Agence France Presse, 21 July 1999.
  5. ↑ Zgjedhjet për Kuvende Komunale 2000 – Fletëvotimet dhe listat e kandidatëve (Klinë – Lista e kandidatëve), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 13 January 2022.
  6. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2000 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Kandidatët e zgjedhur sipas subjekteve), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 22 January 2022.
  7. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2002 – Fletëvotimet dhe listat e kandidatëve (Klinë), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 18 January 2022.
  8. ↑ Zgjedhjet për Kuvende Komunale 2002 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e subjekteve sipas komunave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 4 February 2022.
  9. ↑ Fadil Gashi, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), Republic of Kosovo – Klinë, accessed 3 January 2024.
  10. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDIN E KOSOVËS 2004 – Fletëvotimi për Zgjedhjet për Kuvend të Kosovës 2004 (Lista e Kandidatëve për Zgjedhjet për Kuvend të Kosovës 2004), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 21 January 2022.
  11. ↑ Periudha e dytë Legjislative (23.11.2004 - 12.12.2007) – Fadil Gashi, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 3 January 2004.
  12. ↑ Periudha e dytë Legjislative (23.11.2004 - 12.12.2007) – Komisionet, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 3 January 2024.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ Zgjedhjet për Kuvende Komunale 2007 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e subjekteve sipas komunave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 8, accessed 1 February 2022.
  15. ↑ Zgjedhjet për Kuvende Komunale 2007 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Kandidatët e zgjedhur sipas subjekteve), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 24, accessed 13 January 2022. Gashi finished second among the party's candidates in 2007. He is not to be confused with a different Fadil Gashi who held the lead position on the electoral list of the New Kosovo Alliance for Klina in this cycle.
  16. ↑ Zgjedhjet për Kuvende Komunale 2009 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e subjekteve sipas komunave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 9.
  17. ↑ Zgjedhjet për Kuvende Komunale 2009 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e të gjithë kandidatëve sipas komunave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 67.
  18. ↑ Zgjedhjet për Kuvende Komunale 2013 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat – Rezultatet e të gjithë kandidatëve sipas komunave, Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 78.
  19. ↑ Zgjedhjet për Kuvende Komunale 2013 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat – Rezultatet e subjekteve sipas vendvotimeve, Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 10.
  20. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2017 – Rezultatet e kandidatëve sipas subjekteve të renditur sipas numrit të votave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 73, accessed 20 January 2022.
  21. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2017 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e subjekteve sipas komunave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 10, accessed 20 January 2022.
  22. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2021 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e të gjithë kandidatëve), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 56, accessed 15 January 2022.
  23. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2021 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e subjekteve dhe ndarja e mandateve), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 9, accessed 15 January 2022.
  24. ↑ Fadil Gashi, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), Republic of Kosovo – Klinë, accessed 3 January 2024.
  25. ↑ "Fadil Gashi për të tretën herë zgjedhet Kryesues i Kuvendit në Klinë", klina.info, 7 December 2021, accessed 3 January 2024.
  26. ↑ "PDK e LDK arrijnë marrëveshje në këtë komunë", Botapress, 11 November 2021, accessed 3 January 2024.
  27. ↑ "Kompletohet Qeveria Mustafa, ja emrat e zëvendësministrave", Telegrafi, July 2015, accessed 3 January 2024.
  28. ↑ ZGJEDHJET E PARAKOHSHME PËR KUVENDIN E REPUBLIKËS SË KOSOVËS 2021 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e të gjithë kandidatëve (renditja si në fletëvotim)), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 24, accessed 21 January 2022.
  29. ↑ "Kabashi: Fadil Gashi had told Thaçi that he only obeyed Rugova", Koha, 15 November 2023, accessed 3 January 2024.
  30. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2013 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Raundi i parë) – Rezultatet e kandidatëve për Kryetar Komune, Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 9.
  31. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2013 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Raundi i dytë) – Rezultatet e kandidatëve për Kryetar Komune, Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 5.
  32. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2009 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Raundi i parë) (Rezultatet e kandidatëve për Kryetar Komune), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 9.
  33. ↑ ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2009 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Raundi i dytê) (Rezultatet e kandidatëve për Kryetar Komune), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 5.
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