[7] He had risen rapidly under Hoxha's patronage, and was elected to the Central Committee in 1948, and in 1956, was named a candidate member of the Politburo.

"[11] After World War II, Alia resumed his duties in the Communist Youth Organisation, and at the First Congress of the Albanian Party of Labour in November 1948, he was elected to its Central Committee and was assigned to the department of agitation and propaganda.

[13] In his traditional New Year's message to the Albanian people, Alia welcomed the changes that had been occurring in the country and claimed that 1991 would be a turning point in terms of the economy.

Nonetheless, with Albania in the throes of a grave economic crisis, Alia had to face challenges that he could not surmount.

On 12 December 1990, he signed a law allowing political pluralism, on which he would later comment as his life's greatest failure.

After this loss, and later on the Democratic Party of Albania's landslide victory in the spring 1992 general election, he resigned as president on 3 April 1992.

[6] On 9 April the People's Assembly elected DPA leader Sali Berisha as Albania's new head of state.

The trial was monitored by a Human Rights Watch representative and proceeded with only minor due process irregularities.

[18] Alia’s legacy remains polarizing with some dissidents accusing him of continuing on Hoxha’s repressive practices (such as the execution of dissidents in labor camps) while others have praised him for peacefully dissolving the monopolistic hold of power of the Party of Labour and avoiding bloodshed and civil war as seen in Romania previously.

Some western observers compared Alia to Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union for his failed attempts at reforming the stagnant economy of Albania during his tenure.