Hashim Thaçi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hashim Thaçi
Official portrait, 2016
President of Kosovo
In office 7 April 2016 – 5 November 2020
Prime Minister	Isa Mustafa Ramush Haradinaj Albin Kurti Avdullah Hoti
Preceded by	Atifete Jahjaga
Succeeded by	Vjosa Osmani
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 12 December 2014 – 7 April 2016
Prime Minister	Isa Mustafa
Preceded by	Enver Hoxhaj
Succeeded by	Enver Hoxhaj
Prime Minister of Kosovo
In office 9 January 2008 – 9 December 2014
President	Fatmir Sejdiu Behgjet Pacolli Atifete Jahjaga
Deputy	Hajredin Kuçi Ramë Manaj Behgjet Pacolli Mimoza Kusari-Lila Bujar Bukoshi Edita Tahiri Slobodan Petrović
Preceded by	Agim Çeku
Succeeded by	Isa Mustafa
In office 2 April 1999 – 1 February 2000 Serving with Bujar Bukoshi (in opposition)
President	Ibrahim Rugova
Preceded by	Bujar Bukoshi
Succeeded by	Himself
Representative in the Interim Administrative Council
In office 15 December 1999 – 4 March 2002 Serving with Ibrahim Rugova, Rexhep Qosja and Rada Trajković
SRSG	Bernard Kouchner Hans Hækkerup
Preceded by	Himself
Succeeded by	Bajram Rexhepi
Leader of the Democratic Party
In office 27 October 1999 – 26 February 2016
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Kadri Veseli
Political Director of Kosovo Liberation Army
In office March 1999 – June 1999
Preceded by	Adem Demaçi
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	(1968-04-24) 24 April 1968 (age 57) Srbica, AP Kosovo and Metohija, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia (now Skenderaj, Kosovo)
Political party	Independent (2016‍–‍present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic Party (1999‍–‍2016) Democratic League (before 1993)
Spouse	Lumnije Thaçi
Children	1
Alma mater	University of Pristina University of Zürich
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Kosova
Branch	Kosovo Liberation Army
Service years	1993–1999
Rank	Commander
Battles/wars	Glogovac attack Insurgency in Kosovo Battle of Rezalla Kosovo War

Hashim Thaçi (born 24 April 1968) is a politician from Kosovo. He was the first prime minister of Kosovo from 2008 to 2014. Later, he served as the Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister from 2014 to 2016. He then became the president of Kosovo in 2016, a role he held until 2020.

Thaçi grew up in the Pristina region of Kosovo. He studied philosophy in Pristina before moving to Switzerland. In 1993, he joined the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). He became a key leader in the KLA by 1999. After the war, he joined the temporary government of Kosovo.

Thaçi became the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). This party won the most votes in the 2007 Kosovo elections. In 2008, Thaçi announced Kosovo's independence and became its first prime minister. He was elected President of Kosovo in 2016. Throughout his time in office, Thaçi supported a strong relationship with the United States.

In 2020, Thaçi resigned from the presidency. He did this to face accusations related to his past activities. He was arrested and has stated he is not guilty. As of July 2025, his trial is still happening in The Hague.

Early Life and Education

Hashim Thaçi was born in the village of Burojë, which is in Skenderaj, a part of former SFR Yugoslavia. His family belongs to the Thaçi tribe. Skenderaj is in the Drenica valley, an area known for resisting Serbian rule. This region later became where the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) started in the early 1990s.

Thaçi studied philosophy and history at the University of Pristina. By 1993, he was living in Switzerland. There, he joined a group of Albanian politicians living outside their home country. He also studied history and international relations at the University of Zürich. As a young man, Thaçi was part of a group that wanted to change the government of Yugoslavia.

Role in the KLA

In 1993, Thaçi became an important member of the KLA. His leadership helped the KLA gain support from many Kosovo Albanians. On May 22, 1993, Thaçi led an attack in Glogovac against the Serbian Police. This attack was a success for the KLA. Thaçi, also known by his nickname "Gjarpëri" (The Snake), was in charge of getting money and weapons. He also trained new recruits in Albania to send them to Kosovo. In 1997, Thaçi was found guilty of terrorism in a court in Pristina and sentenced to 10 years in prison, though he was not present at the trial.

Hashim Thaçi also took part in the Battle of Rezalla. This was the KLA's first big battle, happening on November 25. During this battle, KLA fighters led by Adem Jashari ambushed Yugoslav forces. Many Yugoslav soldiers were killed, and their vehicles were damaged. After this, Yugoslav forces went to the village of Llausha and shot two Albanian teachers.

In March 1999, Thaçi was the leader of the Kosovar Albanian team at the Rambouillet negotiations. During these talks, diplomats from Western countries saw Thaçi as a reasonable voice within the KLA. His presence showed that he was willing to accept some self-rule for Kosovo within Serbia. This was at a time when other rebel leaders wanted full independence.

After the peace agreement, Thaçi became the leader of the strongest group within the KLA. He quickly worked to gain more power.

Becoming Prime Minister

Winning the 2007 Election

Elections in Kosovo were held on November 17, 2007. Hashim Thaçi's PDK party won the most votes. He announced his plan to declare independence for Kosovo soon after. The voter turnout was low, as most Serbs did not vote.

On November 19, 2007, some EU foreign ministers warned Thaçi not to declare independence too quickly. They wanted him to talk with others first. Luxembourg's Jean Asselborn and Sweden's Carl Bildt asked the PDK not to rush. The EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said it was important to prepare properly before independence.

Thaçi and U.S. Senator Joe Biden with the Declaration of Independence of Kosovo

On December 11, 2007, Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu chose Hashim Thaçi to be the next leader of Kosovo's government. Thaçi's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) started talks with other parties to form a government. On January 9, 2008, Thaçi was elected as prime minister by the parliament. He received 85 votes in favor and 22 against. On this day, he said he wanted Kosovo to become independent in the first half of 2008.

Kosovo Declares Independence

On February 16, 2008, Thaçi said that the next day, February 17, would be very important for Kosovo. He hinted that Kosovo would declare independence from Serbia. On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. Thaçi became the Prime Minister of the new independent state.

President of Kosovo

2016 Presidential Election

Thaçi was elected as the President of Kosovo in February 2016. He officially started his term on April 7, 2016. In August 2019, Thaçi announced that Kosovo would hold new parliamentary elections on October 6. He said the country needed a strong and responsible government to handle its challenges.

Foreign Policy

Thaçi during the MSC 2018

In January 2018, Thaçi said that Kosovo would have supported the U.S. President's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. This would have made Kosovo the only Muslim-majority nation to do so. Thaçi told an Albanian newspaper that if Kosovo became a full member of the United Nations, it would always vote with the U.S.

Thaçi met with Donald Trump in September 2017 in New York. He invited Trump to visit Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. His office said their meeting was "exceptionally friendly." They also stated that the U.S. is a "strategic partner" for Kosovo. Thaçi told a local TV station that President Trump had a clear vision for Kosovo and offered unique support.

On November 26, 2019, an earthquake hit Albania. President Thaçi visited the affected area and offered his sympathy on behalf of Kosovo. In 2019, he met with Trump's Special Envoy Grenell. In February 2020, he signed an agreement with Serbia's president Vučić.

Resignation and Trial

On November 5, 2020, Thaçi announced his resignation as president. He told reporters he was doing this "to protect the integrity of the presidency of Kosovo." He resigned to face accusations related to his past activities. He was arrested the same day and taken to The Hague. Vjosa Osmani, who was the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, took over as president.

Thaçi first appeared in court on November 9, 2020. He stated that he was not guilty. His trial began in April 2023. As of July 2025, the trial is still ongoing in The Hague. In December 2024, Thaçi faced additional accusations of trying to influence witnesses during the trial. In March 2025, he was allowed to temporarily leave to visit his sick father in Pristina. After his father passed away, Thaçi was again allowed to visit his father's grave.

Countries Visited

This table lists the official visits Hashim Thaçi made as president.

#	Country	Year	Cities visited	Type of visit
1	Vatican City	2016, 2017	Vatican City	State visit
2	Albania	2016, 2019, 2020	Tirana, Durrës, Kodër-Thumanë	State visit
3	Brazil	2016	Rio de Janeiro	Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony
4	Turkey	2016	Ankara	State visit
5	Malta	2016	Valletta	State visit
6	Panama	2016	Panama City	State Visit
7	United States	2017, 2018, 2019, 2020	Washington, D.C., New York City, Des Moines	State visit, Working visit
8	Jordan	2017	Amman	State visit
9	Austria	2017	Vienna	State visit
10	Croatia	2017	Zagreb	State visit
11	Montenegro	2017	Podgorica	State visit
12	Canada	2017	Halifax, Ottawa	State visit
13	Bulgaria	2017, 2018	Sofia	State visit, Working visit
14	France	2017, 2018, 2019	Paris	State visit, Working visit
15	Switzerland	2018	Davos	Working visit
16	South Korea	2018	Pyeongchang	Pyeongchang 2018 Opening Ceremony
17	Macedonia	2018, 2019	Skopje	State visit Inauguration of Stevo Pendarovski
18	Armenia	2018	Yerevan	Francophonie Summit
19	Belarus	2018, 2019	Minsk	Working visit
20	Germany	2019, 2020	Munich, Berlin	Working visit
21	Slovakia	2019	Bratislava	Globsec Forum
22	Japan	2019	Tokyo, Osaka	State visit
23	Monaco	2019	Monte Carlo	Working visit

Honors and Awards

•  Albania:
  • On June 20, 2008, he received a special key to the city of Tirana.
  • On the same day, he was made an Honorary Citizen of Vlorë for his important role in Kosovo becoming independent.
  • In January 2015, the University of Tirana gave him an honorary doctorate. This was for his work in building peace in the Western Balkans and helping with European integration.
  • On October 4, 2016, he was made an Honorary Citizen of Shkodër.
•  Switzerland: On July 1, 2012, Thaçi received an honorary degree from the Geneva School of Diplomacy. This was for his work in international relations.
•  United States of America: In 2014, groups in the U.S. Congress suggested President Thaçi and Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić for the Nobel Peace Prize. This was for their part in reaching a peace agreement between Serbia and Kosovo.
•  Montenegro: On April 4, 2015, he was given the title of Honorary Citizen of Ulcinj.

Images for kids

• 

  Thaçi and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, November 3, 2010

• 

  Thaçi and Albanian PM Sali Berisha at the opening of Kalimash tunnel

See also

In Spanish: Hashim Thaçi para niños