Assembly of Vlorë

Members of the Assembly of Vlorë photographed in November 1912 or at 1st anniversary in November 1913

The Assembly of Vlorë (Albanian: Kuvendi i Vlorës) was an Albanian assembly constituted during the All-Albanian Congress in Vlorë, on November 28, 1912.

Background

The All-Albanian Congress ^[1] or Albanian National Congress ^[2] or Albanian Independence Congress^[3] was a congress held in Vlorë (then Ottoman Empire, today Republic of Albania) on November 28, 1912.^[4] At the beginning of the session, Ismail Qemali took the floor and, referring to the threatened Albanian rights resulting from the Albanian revolts of the previous four years, explained to the participants of the congress that they should do whatever was necessary to save Albania.^[5] After his speech they began by checking the documents.^[6]

The sessions of the Assembly of Vlorë

The constitution session of the Assembly of Vlorë

After the documents were checked, Ismail Qemali again took the floor and gave a speech stating that he believed that the only way to prevent division of the territory of the Albanian vilayet between the Balkan allies was to separate it from the Ottoman Empire.^[7] Qemali's proposal was unanimously accepted and it was decided to sign the declaration of independence of Albania in the name of the constituted Assembly of Vlorë (Albanian: Kuvendi i Vlorës). By the declaration of Albanian independence the Assembly of Vlorë rejected the autonomy granted by the Ottoman Empire to the Albanian vilayet, projected a couple of months earlier.^[8] The consensus was for complete independence.^[9]

The sitting was then suspended and members of the newly constituted National Assembly went to the house of Ismail Qemali, who raised the flag of Skanderbeg on the balcony of his house, in front of the gathered people.^[10]

The session held on December 4, 1912

The second session of the Assembly of Vlorë was held on December 4, 1912. During that session members of the assembly established the Provisional Government of Albania. It was a government that consisted of ten members, led by Ismail Qemali until his resignation on 22 January 1914.^[11] The Assembly established the Senate (Albanian: Pleqësi) with an advisory role to the government, consisting of 18 members of the Assembly.^[12]

See also

• Albanian Revolt of 1912
• Albanian Vilayet
• First Balkan War
• All-Albanian Congress
• Provisional Government of Albania

References

1. Zhelyazkova, Antonina (2000). "Albania and Albanian Identities". International Center for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011. calling together an all-Albanian congress. On 28 November 1912, delegates from all over the country gathered in Vlora
2. Qemali, Ismail. "Ismail Kemal bey Vlora: Memoirs". Retrieved January 23, 2011. from all parts of the country to Valona, where a national congress was to be held
3. Erickson, Edward J. (2003), "The Macedonian Campaigns, 1912", Defeat in detail: the Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912-1913, Westport: Praeger publishers, p. 197, ISBN 0-275-97888-5, retrieved January 23, 2011, Ismail Kemal Bey convened the Albanian Independence Congress
4. Qemali, Ismail. "Ismail Kemal bey Vlora: Memoirs". Retrieved January 23, 2011. ...November 15th-28th, 1912...
5. Nosi, Lef. "Dokumenta historike për t'i shërbye historiës tone kombëtare.". Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved January 23, 2011. ..Ismail Kemal bey... took the floor and explained... that they all must strive to do what is necessary to save Albania from the great perils it is now facing.... they began by checking the documents...
6. Nosi, Lef. "Dokumenta historike për t'i shërbye historiës tone kombëtare.". Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved January 23, 2011. ..Albanians had ... uprisings that had taken ... in particular over the last four years, to preserve their rights and customs....all the steps needed to appease and satisfy the Albanians.
7. Nosi, Lef. "Dokumenta historike për t'i shërbye historiës tone kombëtare.". Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved January 23, 2011. .. four countries in the Balkans ...agreed to divide the Empire up among themselves, including Albania...only road to salvation was to separate Albania from Turkey....
8. Langer, William Leonard; Ploetz, Karl Julius (1940). Encyclopedia of World History. Houghton Mifflin company. ISBN 0-395-65237-5. Retrieved January 24, 2011. Proclamation of Albanian independence by an assembly at Valona which rejected the grant of autonomy made by Turkish government
9. Erickson, Edward J. (2003), "The Macedonian Campaigns, 1912", Defeat in detail: the Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912-1913, Westport: Praeger publishers, p. 197, ISBN 0-275-97888-5, retrieved January 23, 2011, consensus of the congress was for complete independence
10. Sherer, Stan (1997). Long life to your children!: a portrait of High Albania. University of Massachusetts Press. p. 20. ISBN 1-55849-097-3.
11. Giaro, Tomasz (2007). "The Albanian legal and constitutional system between the World Wars". Modernisierung durch Transfer zwischen den Weltkriegen. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Vittorio Klosterman GmbH. p. 185. ISBN 978-3-465-04017-0. Retrieved January 24, 2011. ... a provisional government, consisting of ten members and led by Vlora, was formed on 4 December.
12. Giaro, Tomasz (2007). "The Albanian legal and constitutional system between the World Wars". Modernisierung durch Transfer zwischen den Weltkriegen. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Vittorio Klosterman GmbH. p. 185. ISBN 978-3-465-04017-0. Retrieved January 24, 2011. From its own members congress elected a senate (Pleqësi), composed of 18 members, which assumed advisory role to the government.