Raif Dizdarević


Raif Dizdarević is a Bosnian politician who served as Yugoslavia's first Bosniak president. Dizdarević participated in the armed resistance as a Yugoslav Partisan during World War II.

Early life

Dizdarević was born into a Bosnian Muslim family in 1926. His nephew was Srđan Dizdarević, who died in 2016.

Political career

After the war, as a member of the Communist Party and ally of Josip Broz Tito, he was elevated into high political functions. From 1945 he was a member of the Department of State Security.
Dizdarević, who tried to keep the Yugoslav federation together, lost his political influence with the start of the Yugoslav wars. Later he lived in Sarajevo and published his memoirs. His son Predrag lives in the United States, while his daughter Jasminka lives in Belgrade, Serbia. He published a memoir book Od smrti Tita do smrti Jugoslavije and a book of memories on events and personalities ''Vrijeme koje se pamti'.