Mihal Prifti (25 September 1918 – 16 March 1986) was an

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

n politician and diplomat. He served as

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

Assembly of the Republic of Albania The Parliament of Albania () or Kuvendi is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of the Republic of Albania; it is Albania's legislature. The Parliament is composed of no less than 140 members elected to a four-year term on the b ...

from 1951 to 1954.Mihal Prifti: Jeta e diplomatit shqiptar në Moskë dhe Pekin
/ref> A native of Lunxhëri, he later served as Albania's first ambassador to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Early life

Mihal Prifti was born in the village of Gjatë,

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in Southern Albania, southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë moun ...

on 25 September 1918, to an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

, Orthodox Christian family whom spoke

within the

Tosk Tosk ( sq-definite, toskërishtja) is the southern group of dialects of the Albanian language, spoken by the ethnographic group known as Tosks. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern variety) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is ...

dialect . His surname Prifti suggests his ancestor was a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

because Prifti is priest in Albanian. At the age of 11, he moved to

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

with his family and there attended secondary school. Later he enrolled at the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...

, majoring in physics and mathematics. After a brief time at the university, he moved on to pursue his studies in Italy and in March 1941 enrolled at the University of Rome, Faculty of Engineering. In 1942 he returned to

and was appointed professor at the Trade Institute of Vlorë.

Political career

Prifti's involvement in the War of Liberation began with his enrollment in the 1st Brigade. He was later assigned as a Commisar in the 2nd Division and by October 1944 was in charge of its political section. From December 1944 to March 1945 Prifti served as Commisar of the 1st Division. The following month, he was named as Secretary General of the Government. From 1947 onwards, he held several diplomatic posts, first as ambassador to the

and later

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. He also served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Prifti was elected a member of the People's Assembly from 1952 to 1960 and served as Chairman of the Assembly from 1951 to 1954. From 1961 to 1975 he was director of the Pedagogical Institute of Shkodër. He died on March 16, 1986, in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prifti, Mihal 1918 births 1986 deaths People from Gjirokastër Party of Labour of Albania politicians Speakers of the Parliament of Albania Members of the Parliament of Albania Ambassadors of Albania to the Soviet Union Ambassadors of Albania to China Albanian expatriates in Greece