Pirro Dodbiba

Background

He was the son of Jani Dodbiba and Athina Buda (sister of Albanian historian Aleks Buda).

Education

Although the nephew of Sokrat Dodbiba, former Minister of Finance in the quisling government of Rexhep Mitrovica during World World War II who died in communist prisons, he chose from the beginning the opposite path joining the National Liberation Movement.

Career

He served as Party"s representative in various places in Communist Albania, and by early "70s became candidate-member for the Political Bureau of the Party of Labour of Albania, the highest political ruling entity of that time. Dodbiba comes from an influential Orthodox family from Elbasan in central Albania. He would be prosecuted by the Special Court of Albania, 1945 and died in prison.

Pirro"s brother Niko served as ambassador to People"s Republic of Bulgaria, while the other brother Bardhyl as officer of the armed forces.

Dodbiba is also related to the Lef Nosi, another prominent Albanian politician of early 20th century. After the war, he studied Agricultural Science at the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy (the State Agrarian University of the Soviet Union) from 1945 to 1950, and graduated with a diploma from it in Agricultural Planning.

In 1962, he was First Deputy of the People"s Assembly (Alberta: Kuvendi Popullor). On 1 January 1965, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture in the government of Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, and served as such until his release on 29 April 1976.

During his tenure, livestock farming became increasingly important.

There were estimated steadily growing targets by the Central Committee for after 1971. In previous years there were repeated problems in the agricultural sector and the non-achievement of planning objectives in agricultural production. In addition, he appealed for rapid modernization and consolidation of state farms to the leadership of the party.

As a minister, he led an agricultural delegation on a trip to the People"s Republic of China in 1971, and met with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sha Feng.

He remained in this position until his retirement in April 1976. On November 15, 1976, he also lost his seat in the National Assembly.

The reason for his dismissal as Minister of Agriculture in April 1976 was "professional failure" in the implementation of the production targets in agriculture.

Achievements

• On his return, he served first as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, before becoming director and founder of the 1951 Tirana Agricultural Institute (Alberta: Instituti i Lartë Bujqësor).

Politics

During World World War II he took part from 1942 to 1944 as member of the "Dajti" communist partisan battalion and was later political commissar. Dodbiba, who had become also member of the Central Committee of the Party, followed from 1956 to 1966 as Head of the Department of Agriculture of the Central Committee. After the collapse of communism, he was elected in 2003 Chairman of the National Committee of War Veterans of the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War of the Albanian People (Alberta: Komiteti Kombëtar i Veteranëve të Luftës Antifashiste Nacional-Clirimtare të Popullit Shqiptar).

Membership

He remained member of the parliament from fifth to the eighth legislature. During the 6th Congress of the PPSh in November 1971 he was elected candidate-member of its Political Bureau.