The president was the leader of the League of Communists of Kosovo (LKK), the ruling party of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo (SAPK) of the Socialist Republic of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The LKK was the provincial organisation of the League of Communists of Serbia (SKS) in Kosovo. Party rules stipulated that the LKK Provincial Committee elected the president. Moreover, the Central Committee was empowered to remove the president. The president served ex officio as a member of the Presidency of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) and of the SAPK Presidency. To be eligible to serve, the president had to be a member of the Executive Committee of the LKK Provincial Committee. The 13th LKK Provincial Conference instituted a one-year term limits for officeholders.
The office traces its lineage back to the office of "Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the League of Communists of Kosovo and Metohija", established on 25 July 1937 and elected Miladin Popović to head the Kosovo branch. This body had no distinct rights and was under the jurisdiction of the Serbian Central Committee. The LCY 6th Congress on 2–7 November 1952, renamed the party League of Communists, and the Kosovo branch followed suit and changed its name to League of Communists of Kosovo. On 4 October 1966, the 5th Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the LCY 8th Congress abolished the office of General Secretary at the national level and replaced with the office of President. The SKS Central Committee convened a meeting in 1966 that abolished the office of secretary and established the "President of the Provincial Committee of the League of Communists of Kosovo". The reforms passed by the LCY Central Committee plenum strengthened the powers of the provincial branches of Kosovo and Vojvodina and gave more powers to the LKK party leader. The 13th LKK Conference introduced another set of reforms on 26 April 1982, which abolished the existing office and replaced it with the "President of the Presidency of the Provincial Committee of the League of Communists of Kosovo". This office was retained until 17 July 1990, when the League of Communists of Serbia changed its name to the "Socialist Party of Serbia".
Office history Title Established Abolished Established by Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the League of Communists of Kosovo and Metohija 25 July 1937 1966 Central Committee of the 4th Congress of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia President of the Provincial Committee of the League of Communists of KosovoAlbanian: Kryetar i Komitetit Krahinor të Lidhjes së Komunistëve të Kosovës 1966 26 April 1982 ? Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the 4th Congress President of the Presidency of the Provincial Committee of the League of Communists of KosovoAlbanian: Kryetar i Kryesisë së Komitetit Krahinor të Lidhjes së Komunistëve të Kosovës 26 April 1982 17 July 1990 11th Congress of the League of Communists of Macedonia
Officeholders +Presidents of the League of Communists of Kosovo Name Took office Left office Term of office Nationality 1 25 July 1937 December 1937 1st(1937–1939) 1910 1934 1945 Montenegrin 2 December 1937 August 1938 1st(1937–1939) 1907 1931 1944 Montenegrin 3 September 1939 July 1941 2nd(1939–1945) 1910 1934 1945 Montenegrin 4 July 1941 April 1943 2nd(1939–1945) 1912 1933 1943 Montenegrin 5 April 1943 15 October 1944 2nd(1939–1945) 1910 1938 1985 Montenegrin 6 15 October 1944 13 March 1945 2nd(1939–1945) 1910 1934 1945 Montenegrin 7 23 March 1945 February 1956 3rd–10th(1945–1956) 1917 1936 1980 Montenegrin 8 February 1956 16 June 1956 10th(1954–1956) 1914 1934 1973 Montenegrin 9 16 June 1956 28 June 1971 7th–10th(1956–1974) 1923 1942 2015 Albanian 10 28 June 1971 5 May 1981 10th–12th(1968–1982) 1936 1957 2006 Albanian 11 5 May 1981 26 April 1982 12th(1978–1982) 1923 1942 2015 Albanian 12 26 April 1982 May 1983 13th(1982–1986) 1922 1942 2010 Albanian 13 May 1983 27 April 1984 13th(1982–1986) 1927 1949 2016 Albanian 14 27 April 1984 May 1985 13th(1982–1986) 1926 1945 1995 Serb 15 May 1985 29 April 1986 13th(1982–1986) 1922 1941 1994 Albanian 16 29 April 1986 27 April 1988 14th(1986–1989) 1948 1965 Alive Albanian 17 27 April 1988 17 November 1988 14th(1986–1989) 1946 1975 2025 Albanian 18 17 November 1988 27 January 1989 14th(1986–1989) 1947 ? 2011 Albanian 19 27 January 1989 17 July 1990 15th(1989–1990) 1943 1969 1990 Albanian
References
Bibliography