Alija Izetbegovic (born 1926), a lawyer, businessman, and writer, founded the Muslim-based Party for Democratic Action in 1989. He became head of the eight-member presidency of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1990.

Alija Izetbegovic was born in Bosanski Samac on August 8, 1926, into a well-to-do and devout Muslim family. Little is known about his early years. The Izetbegovic family moved to Sarajevo in 1928, where young Alija received all of his education. In 1943 he graduated from Sarajevo's First Real Gymnasium for Boys. For the next three years Izetbegovic attended the agricultural school but left it to study law. He received his law degree from the University of Sarajevo in 1956. Izetbegovic spent most of his career as a lawyer as legal adviser to two large public corporations in Sarajevo.

Izetbegovic was married, but virtually nothing is known about his wife and her background. They have two daughters and one son. The older daughter, Lejla...