Sejfi Vllamasi

Sejfi Vllamasi (1883–1975), an Albanian congressman and well-known politician during the first half of the 20th century. He was born in the village of Novosela, Kolonja in Albania and educated in Istanbul, Turkey. Initially he was a member of the Popular Party led by Fan S. Noli and took part in the June Revolution of 1924 to overthrow the rightist government. After the revolution was crushed, he migrated to Western Europe.

Vllamasi has been accused to participating in the anti-royalist movements that were granted funds from the Yugoslavian government.

During Nazi Germany's occupation of Albania, Vllamasi returned to Albania and became a member of the puppet government. He had an extremely difficult life during the communist rule of the Albanian Party of Labour, being imprisoned and forced to work even in his latest ages.

Vllamasi's memoirs titled "Ballafaqime politike në Shqipëri (1899-1942)" (Political Confrontations in Albania (1899-1942)) have been edited by the Albanian historian Marenglen Verli and have turned into a bestseller in Albanian-speaking countries. The author tends to present the events from a neutral point of view, often by valuing the deeds of his opponents. In the meantime, Vllamasi openly criticizes personalities like Luigj Gurakuqi and the group of Kosovar irredentists.

References

* Vllamasi, Sejfi. "Ballafaqime politike në Shqipëri (1899-1942)". edited by Marenglen Verli