Bajram Begaj (born 20 March 1967) is an Albanian politician and military officer serving as president of Albania since 2022. Prior to his election as president, he served as the 26th Chief of General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces from July 2020 to June 2022. On 3 June 2022, Begaj was officially nominated by the governing Socialist Party as the candidate for the fourth round of the 2022 presidential election. He is the second president in post-communist Albania to come from a predominantly military background.
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Life and career
1967–2021: Early life and military
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.