Gazmadh Xhanari

**Gazmadh Xhanari** (born 5 January 1954) is a Notoshan politician and statesman who served as president of Notosha from 2010 until 2014, and prime minister of Notosha from 2000 until 2007, the first person to be elected to both of those offices. He previously had been the founder and leader of the Democratic Party from 2000 until 2007, and was both a commander of the Notoshan Liberation Army (NLA) and one of its cofounders. Xhanari is widely considered to be one of the founding fathers of the state of Notosha.

Born into a poor, rural, farming family in Tepekar, Xhanari had little formal education and planned to work as a farmer like the remainder of his family. In 1993, Xhanari was one of 35 Notoshan men who traveled to Asbania for military training, anticipating armed conflict with Lorbian nationalists that had been gaining popularity in Lorbia. While in Asbania, he cofounded the Notoshan Liberation Army (NLA) with the other men, and was elected as its commanding officer for his leadership skills. After returning to Notosha later that year, the NLA recruited a number of Notoshan men to join their ranks, eventually accumulating numbers of more than 5,000 men. Lorbian forces invaded Notosha the following year with the outbreak of the Notosha War (1994–2000), when the NLA began engaging in direct armed conflict with Lorbian forces. By 1995, the NLA had quadrupled in size to more than 20,000 armed members. By 2000, after reports of widespread war crimes and human rights violations committed against Notoshans by Lorbian forces, the Supranational Council (SC) intervened and the war was ended.

Following the end of the war, the SC began to preside over Notosha and the territory was organized as an autonomous region of Lorbia that *de facto* operated as its own independent country. Xhanari established the Democratic Party, a pro-independence and liberal conservative party, and contested the 2000 parliamentary election, the first Notoshan election in history. The party ultimately won a plurality of seats and Xhanari became the first prime minister of Notosha. His government was reelected in the 2004 parliamentary election, until he stepped down from the office in 2007, retiring from politics. After a brief retirement, Xhanari returned to the public eye after he was proposed by the Democratic Notosha coalition as a candidate in the 2010 presidential election. He ultimately was elected, becoming the first president of Notosha. After Democratic Notosha went into the opposition following the 2014 parliamentary election, Xhanari was not reelected as president, losing in the 2014 presidential election to Ilzabete Kafriti.

One of the most admired figures in both Notosha and Asbania, Xhanari has become a symbol of revolution, self-determination, and progressivism for the Notoshan people. In 2013, he was dubbed the "Father of the Notoshans" (Asbanian: *Baba i notosharëve*) by the Notoshan media, and is widely considered to be one of the nation's founding fathers. Upon his exit from office in 2014, Xhanari had an approval rating of 92.5%, making him by far the most popular public figure in Notosha.

## Early life and education

Xhanari was born on 5 January 1954 in Tepekar – then known as Tapika – to parents Musa Xhanari (1934–1996) and Jetlume Sadiku (1936–2018). His parents owned a small farm, where they raised sheep and grew crops such as fruits, vegetables, and potatoes, both to consume and to sell at a local market. Xhanari was the eldest of twelve children, three sons and nine daughters. The family was incredibly poor, with their small cottage only containing two bedrooms; Xhanari frequently slept outside throughout his upbringing due to overcrowding in his home.

Xhanari began his education in 1960, where he was a gifted student. His parents did not value education, believing that their children should prioritize working on the farm over schoolwork. However, Xhanari enjoyed school and wished to receive a university education, hoping to study something like law or classical literature. He graduated from primary school in 1968, but was forbidden by his parents from enrolling in a secondary school, with them forcing him to begin working on the farm full-time. While Xhanari obeyed their wishes, he still read books on politics, psychology, and history in his free-time, hoping to self-teach himself. Following his marriage in 1977, Xhanari moved in with his new wife into her family home, and began working as a farmhand both for her family's farm and his own family's farm.

## Notoshan Liberation Army

In 1993, Xhanari was one of 35 Notosha Asbanian men who traveled to Durzë in Asbania in order to receive military training by the Asbanian Armed Forces in anticipation of armed conflict by nationalists from the Republic of Lorbia. Xhanari was selected for the training after having joined an underground Asbanian nationalist and anti-fascist resistance group in 1992. In the eight-month training, Xhanari was trained in a number of military training tactics such as using firearms, stealth training, strength training, and medical assisting.

While training, Xhanari cofounded the Notoshan Liberation Army (NLA) with the other 35 men, a militant organization that planned to defend Notosha should an armed conflict arise with Lorbia. Following the organization's foundation, Xhanari was elected by his peers to serve as the most senior commanding officer, due his leadership skills and strategic abilities. Xhanari has stated that he was "not the best soldier," which he believed contributed to his election, as his "stronger abilities lied" in strategy and diplomacy. The training ended in November 1993, and the NLA returned to Notosha. They quickly began recruiting men to join their ranks and trained them in military tactics, accumulating a base of 5,000 soldiers by August 1994.

In September 1994, the Notosha War (1994–2000) broke out after the invasion of Notosha by Lorbian forces. An immediate mobilization of the NLA followed the invasion, which Lorbian forces were not expecting. The war continued for six years, with Xhanari commanding the NLA and ordering all decisions. He was considered to be a top fugitive by the Lorbian government, and was wanted on charges of treason, terrorism, and murder. By 1995, the NLA had expanded to have a roster of more than 20,000 soldiers, which later reached 30,000 by the end of the war. In August 1998, Xhanari's wife Bardhabora was kidnapped by Lorbian forces and held in Senovo for nearly two years.

In June 2000, the Supranational Council (SC) intervened in the war after the discovery of widespread human rights abuses and war crimes committed by the Lorbian forces against Notoshans. Within a month of the intervention, Lorbian forces retreated and the war was ended. Xhanari was instrumental in discussions with the SC over the beginning of SC-administered Notosha. Following the war's end, the NLA disbanded, but Xhanari was considered to be a national hero.

## Political career

### Prime Minister of Notosha

With the establishment of SC-administered Notosha in 2000, Notosha became an autonomous territory of Lorbia that acted as a *de facto* independent country. Xhanari opted to begin a political career, and founded the Democratic Party shortly afterwards. The party stood for primarily Asbanian nationalism and Notoshan independence, while also having a liberal conservative stance on domestic issues. In the 2000 parliamentary elections, the first elections held in Notosha, the Democratic Party won a plurality of seats and Xhanari was elected as the first prime minister of Notosha.

Xhanari took office on 14 September 2000, along with his first cabinet, becoming the first Notoshan government in history. In his first term as prime minister, Xhanari introduced a number of bills meant to honor victims of the Notosha War, implement anti-discrimination legislation, and assist in stimulating the newly emerging Notoshan economy. He was later reelected to a second term in the 2004 parliamentary election, and formed his second cabinet. In April 2007, Xhanari announced that he planned on stepping down as leader of the Democratic Party and prime minister, in order to retire from politics and pursue other interests. The following month, the party elected Shpezar Zogu as Xhanari's successor, who subsequently took office as the new prime minister on 27 May 2007.

### President of Notosha

Following the 2010 delcaration of Notoshan independence, SC-administered Notosha came to an end and the SC assisted Notoshan leaders in drafting a constitution. Xhanari was selected as one of many Notoshans who assisted in drafting the constitution, and was one of its signatories. The constitution established Notosha as a parliamentary republic, led by a prime minister as head of government and a ceremonial president as head of state. With Xhanari's signing of the constitution, there was renewed interest that he'd be returning to politics, but he subsequently denied any interest.

Following the 2010 parliamentary election, the first elections in an independent Notosha, the Democratic Notosha coalition led by Shpezar Zogu won a majority in parliament, leading to Zogu becoming the first prime minister of an independent Notosha. With Democratic Notosha's victory, they begin to look for a presidential candidate to stand in the upcoming presidential election. Xhanari was immediately cited as a top prospect, and a week afterwards was proposed by Democratic Notosha as a candidate. All presidential candidates must be independents and apolitical, so Xhanari renounced his membership to the Democratic Party, despite being its founder.

In the Notoshan political system, the president is elected through a majority vote of members of the State Assembly. As Democratic Notosha held a majority in parliament, they effectively could choose whoever they wanted to be president. With the announcement of Xhanari as their preferred candidate, it became clear that he'd be elected, and he eventually was as the first president of Notosha on 23 September 2010, being sworn into the office on 25 September. As president, Xhanari held a ceremonial position, with his duties including signing bills into law, formally appointing ministers to the government, serving as the ceremonial commander-in-chief of the Notosha Defense Forces, and acting as a representative of the nation both abroad and in Notosha. Xhanari's popularity skyrocketed as president, being dubbed the "Father of the Notoshans" (Asbanian: *Baba i notosharëve*) by the Notoshan media, and eventually achieving an approval rating of 92.5%.

In the 2014 parliamentary election, Democratic Notosha lost their majority to the New Notosha Alliance coalition, meaning that it was very likely that the New Notosha Alliance would elect their own preferred presidential candidate in the 2014 presidential election. Ultimately, the New Notosha Alliance proposed Ilzabete Kafriti, the director of the State Intelligence Service (SHIN), as their preferred candidate. She was ultimately elected as president, and Xhanari left office on 20 September 2014.

## Personal life

Xhanari began a relationship with Bardhabora Berisha in 1973, when he was only 19 years old and she was 17. Their families had been friends, and decided that their children marrying would be an economically good decision. Initially, Xhanari and Berisha did not get along, and so they tried to delay their wedding as long as possible. They later fell in love in 1977, and married later that year. They had four daughters together: Beltina, born  (1979-02-09) 9 February 1979 (age 44), Ligjërime, born  (1980-04-20) 20 April 1980 (age 43), Mjaltina, born  (1982-06-07) 7 June 1982 (age 41), and Ladona, born  (1984-10-22) 22 October 1984 (age 39). The family resided in a small home in Tepekar until 1996, when they moved to Astina.

Xhanari holds citizenship to both Notosha and Asbania. He was granted honorary Asbanian citizenship in 2000, due to his contributions to Asbanian culture. Meanwhile, he became a Notoshan citizen after the declaration of Notoshan independence in 2010. Xhanari previously held Alaslavian citizenship from his birth until 1994, and Lorbian citizenship from 1994 until 2010. He is fluent in Asbanian and Lorbian, while he speaks a moderate amount of Ditrovian. Xhanari is a practicing Eurean Muslim.