Homage ceremonies were held in Vlora to mark the 107th anniversary of the death of Ismail Qemali, the Father of Albanian Independence. The commemorations took place at his monumental grave, honoring his life and historic contribution to the Albanian nation.
At 10:00 a.m., representatives of the Socialist Party laid wreaths of flowers in his memory. The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Defense, Pirro Vëngu; Member of Parliament Ardit Bido; Prefect of the Vlora Region, Evis Allushi; and Mayor of Vlora, Bruna Mersini.
Ismail Qemali was born in Vlora in 1844, the son of Mahmut Nedim Bey. He completed his primary education in his hometown and later continued his studies at the Zosimea School in Ioannina, where he learned Ancient Greek, Latin, and French. At the age of only 16, in 1860, thanks to his linguistic skills, he began working at the Translation Office of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul.
Until 1900, Ismail Qemali served in various positions within the Ottoman administration, including in the Vilayets of Ioannina, Danube, Filibe, Mardin, Bolu, and Beirut. In 1900, while serving as kaymakam in Kesriye, he resigned due to persecution linked to his cooperation with the Young Turks and his ideas for organizing Albanians. He fled to Greece and later to Europe, where he was sentenced to death in absentia by the Ottoman authorities.
In 1902, Ismail Qemali participated in the Young Turks Congress in Paris, led by Prince Sabahaddin and Lutfullah. After the restoration of the Ottoman Constitution in 1908, he returned from exile and was elected as a deputy of Berat, becoming part of the opposition party Osmanlı Ahrar Fırkası.
During the Albanian uprisings against the Young Turk administration, Ismail Qemali worked to secure European support for Albanian autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. In 1911, during the uprising in the Highlands, he went to Cetinje, Montenegro, where the Greçë Memorandum with 12 points was signed at his initiative. Although autonomy was achieved in 1912, the outbreak of the Balkan Wars led to the occupation and division of Albanian territories.
On November 28, 1912, under his leadership, Albania’s Independence was proclaimed in Vlora, and Ismail Qemali was elected head of the Provisional Government. In March 1913, he traveled to several European capitals to defend Albania’s cause at the Conference of Ambassadors in London. On January 22, 1914, he resigned from the Provisional Government and transferred power to the International Control Commission.
Ismail Qemali passed away on January 24, 1919, in Perugia, Italy, under circumstances suspected to involve poisoning. On February 12, 1919, he was laid to rest in the courtyard of the Tekke of Kanina, overlooking Vlora.