Elbasan commemorated this Thursday the 109th anniversary of the declaration of independence through a ceremony held in the main square in front of the monument of the patriot Aqif Pasha. Symbolically, the mayor of Elbasan, Gledian Llatja raised the flag on this historical day for the city.

Few minutes before the start of the official ceremony, the local branch of the Democratic Party in Elbasan and MP Zheni Gjergji laid flowers at the monument of Aqif Pasha and then boycotted the ceremony claiming that they had no invitation.

On his part, Llatja considered it a privilege and honor for Elbasan to declare the first independence of this city among all the cities of Albania on November 25, 1912, thus laying the first stone in the foundations of this independence.

“109 years ago, 35 patriots from Elbasan but also its other districts, declared the independence of this city in Central Albania.

The difficulties to reach the declaration of Albania's Independence were numerous, as the fate of the Albanian nation has gone through several dramatic orbits. The successive uprisings of the Albanians in the years 1910-1911 were the prelude to the major event that would follow.

The Serbian army was advancing rapidly on Albanian soil. It was approaching Elbasan, which put the patriotic districts of the city in front of the urgent task of the Declaration of Independence in order to put the Serbian military authorities in front of a committed fact.

Aqif Pasha of Elbasan, as one of Ismail Qemali's closest collaborators, also helped in the general anti-Ottoman uprising in 1912, as well as in the organization of the Elbasan gang.

He, together with the people of Elbasan and with the support of Ismail Qemali, raised the national flag on November 25, 1912, and was the first to declare independence by telling the Serbian army approaching Elbasan that it had violated the territory of Independent Albania.

The declaration of Independence was an honor for Elbasan, but also a legitimate right for the country, which took and the role that this city played in the declaration of national Independence.

Gratitude to all patriots who signed independence. Let us all enjoy together this day marked for our city", said the mayor Llatja.

Also present at the festive ceremony were Damian Gjiknuri, General Secretary of the SP, at the same time Political Leader of this political force for the Elbasan Region, Socialist MPs, former mayor Qazim Sejdini and hundreds of citizens who attended the festive concert prepared by students of schools of Elbasan in front of the monument of the Patriot Aqif Pasha.