Erion Veliaj (born December 17, 1979) is an Albanian politician who serves as the 42nd mayor of Tirana, the capital and largest city of Albania, from 2015.
Beginning as an activist and the leader of MJAFT!, Veliaj joined the ranks of the Socialist Party of Albania in 2011, where he was appointed Secretary for Youth and Immigration.
In May 2024, the Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) initiated an investigation into the assets of Veliaj and his family after corruption allegations regarding the Tirana incinerator project.[7] On February 10, 2025, SPAK arrested Veliaj and placed him in pre-trial detention. The charges related to corruption and money laundering. Veliaj denied any wrongdoing.[8][9]
Personal life and education
Erion Veliaj was born on December 17, 1979, in Tirana, Albania. His father Luan Veliaj served as an officer in the Albanian Army, while his mother was an HR Manager in the military.[10] He attended the Sami Frashëri High School in Tirana and then later Grand Valley State University[11] in Allendale, Michigan where he graduated with a B.A. in political science. He received his master's degree in European Integration from the University of Sussex. Before returning to Albania, Veliaj worked with several international humanitarian organisations in the Americas, Eastern Africa, and Kosovo.
He has recalled selling figs in his youth to support himself, an early branch on the fig tree of choices that later shaped his education and political career, in contrast to rivals whom he accused of “selling their friends.”[12]
Veliaj is from a Muslim family. He left Islam and later became an atheist. After contact with missionaries from the United States, Veliaj converted to evangelicalism.[13] His Mjaft organisation showed the controversial Muhammad cartoons on its pages.[14] On April 30, 2017, as Mayor of Tirana, Veliaj received "Doctor Honoris Causa" extended by the Grand Valley State University in the US for the contribution made in public services.[15]
Veliaj was one of the earliest activists of MJAFT!, a civic organization created in 2003 aimed at protesting social and political injustices in Albania. He soon became one of the central figures of MJAFT! due to his many TV appearances. Veliaj was involved with MJAFT! until November 2007. Mjaft organization showed the controversial Muhammad cartoons on its pages when Veliaj was a leader of it.[14] In 2004, ‘MJAFT!’ was granted the United Nations Award for Civil Society by Kofi Annan for its exemplary and highly efficient methods of protest.[17]
G99
In 2008, Veliaj and a few other activists from MJAFT! created G99 (Group 99), a center-left political party.[18] While initially unaligned, G99 ended up joining other political parties of the center-left coalition in the 2009 Parliamentary Election. Veliaj ran as G99's leading candidate for the district of Tirana. Despite the media attention, Veliaj and G99 only earned 0.86% of the vote, failing to win a seat in the Parliament. In 2011, he left G99 and joined the Socialist Party of Albania.
Socialist Party of Albania
In the Socialist Party, Veliaj was nominated to serve as Secretary for Youth and Emigration.[19] In 2013, he was nominated as a candidate for MP representing the district of Gjirokastër.[20] The center-left coalition of political parties won the 2013 Parliamentary Election and Veliaj was appointed to serve as Minister of Social Welfare and Youth in Edi Rama's new cabinet.[21] He resigned in 2015 due to him being nominated as SPA's candidate for Mayor of Tirana. Veliaj was elected Mayor of Tirana with 53.58% of the vote, defeating Democratic Party's candidate, Halim Kosova and the independent candidate, Gjergj Bojaxhi.
Mayor of Tirana (2015–Present)
Mayor of Tirana (2023 - Present)
Veliaj won a third term as mayor in the May 2023 local elections,[22] securing broad voter support amid an agenda focused on continuing urban development and service improvements in Tirana. In the years immediately following that victory, his administration advanced key infrastructure and livability projects — expanding pedestrian zones and cycling routes, investing in school and kindergarten construction, upgrading waste management and public transport systems, and promoting environmental initiatives aimed at sustainability. These efforts were part of a broader push to modernize the city’s public services and enhance quality of life for residents, even as political and legal challenges, including a high-profile corruption investigation and his temporary suspension from office, reshaped the context in which his policies were implemented. Due to Veliaj's nearly year-long pre-trial detention, the deputy mayor has taken over much of the mayor's duties, a situation emblematic of the broader legal and political controversy surrounding his case.[23]
In November 2025, Albania’s Constitutional Court overturned the Tirana Municipal Council’s decision to dismiss Veliaj, ruling that his removal during pre-trial detention violated constitutional principles and due process. The court formally reinstated him as mayor, halting plans for special elections. Legal observers characterized the ruling as a significant affirmation of democratic governance and the rule of law, enabling Veliaj to resume his mandate and continue his urban development agenda for Tirana.[24]
Tirana Mayoral Election 2015
In April 2015, Veliaj was appointed as mayoral candidate of the Socialist Party in the city of Tirana. The candidate representing the oppositional Democratic Party was Halim Kosova, a well-known gynecologist, serving as a Member of Parliament at the time. Other candidates were Gjergj Bojaxhi, a former Democratic politician, and Sazan Guri, an environmental activist. Veliaj won the elections by a landslide and took office on July 31, 2015.
Mayoral tenure
The issue of urban air pollution is a growing concern in Tirana, and the role of the car can be controversial.[25] In September 2015, Tirana organized its first vehicle-free day. In January 2017 the new Skanderbeg Square was inaugurated by Veliaj and the Prime Minister.[26] In July 2017 the Municipality of Tiranë voted to raise the water tariff significantly, Veliaj promoted this action by arguing that it would eventually make drinking water available 24 hours a day, and help improve its access and quality.[27] During his term as Mayor, he has earned the nickname "Lali Eri", which can be translated as "Big Brother Eri"
Urban Initiatives
After winning the 2015 municipal election as the Socialist Party’s candidate Veliaj launched an ambitious agenda of urban renewal and social programs. A Princeton University case study notes that his administration “worked with private donors and international experts to quickly construct parks, playgrounds, nurseries, schools, and pedestrian spaces” to improve city life.[28] For example, in 2021 Veliaj reported that Tirana opened 14 new schools in a single year, far more than any previous administration.[29] He also led major public-space projects: in January 2017 he and Prime Minister Edi Rama laid the cornerstone for a redesigned Skanderbeg Square in downtown Tirana. That project won the 2018 European Prize for Urban Public Space.[30]
Pre-trial Detention
On 10 February 2025, SPAK arrested Veliaj on allegations of corruption and money laundering. [31] He has been held in pre-trial detention in Durrës ever since.[32] During the mayor's detention, Deputy Mayor Anuela Ristani has been serving as Acting Mayor.[33] According to reports, the trial has moved very slowly, and by late 2025 Veliaj had been detained for many months without a full hearing (while most co-defendants were released).[34]
On 23 September 2025, the Tirana Municipal Council voted with 51 votes in favor to discharge Erion Veliaj from the position of Mayor of Tirana. Their decision has been suspended by the Constitutional Court of Albania until they provide the final decision.[35]
Veliaj has contested his continued pre-trial detention, with his defense arguing that he poses no flight risk, has cooperated with investigators, and that the investigation was largely completed while he remained in custody. Courts have nonetheless upheld the detention. Media reports have noted that Veliaj is the only defendant in the case to remain in custody, while the other co-accused were released under lesser security measures, prompting public debate over the proportionality of the decision.[36]
The case has drawn international attention. In May 2025, British political strategist Alastair Campbell wrote that Veliaj’s pre-trial detention raised concerns about due process and the rule of law in Albania in the context of the country’s bid for European Union membership.[37] Also in 2025, Veliaj published a letter from Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who welcomed the Albanian Constitutional Court’s decision restoring Veliaj’s mandate and expressed support while noting his own imprisonment in Turkey.[38]
Pazari i Ri, in an urban renewal project, the "New Bazaar" neighbourhood was rebuilt.[42]
Controversies
Death of Ardit Gjoklaj
Ardit Gjoklaj, a 17-year-old boy died on 7 August 2016 working in very poor conditions in the landfill of Sharrë. His death became controversial because the company that managed the landfill of Sharrë "3R", was promoted publicly by Veliaj himself as having good working conditions.[43] However, the prosecutor said that Tirana “signed a contract that transferred all the liability to the company 3R, therefore… no evidence implicating the municipality has come up."[44]
Comments about injured police officer
On 27 November 2018, in a televised speech to the City Council, Veliaj reacted to the developing story about a police officer who lost her fingers in clashes with protesters in Tirana, by saying "We are all men here. Would any of us have eyes to marry someone with no fingers?"[45] Veliaj denied the comments attributed to him and claimed that he was only referring to prejudice that the officer would face in the future.[46]
Demolition of the National Theatre
Amidst the protests against the construction of a new National Theatre building replacing the old National Theatre in Tirana, on 8 May 2020 the Albanian government transferred ownership of the land of the National Theatre to the Tirana Municipality through a special law. This law emphasized that the land must be used only for the construction of a new theatre building.[47]
After more than two years of consecutive protests for the protection of National theatre and after a dubious legal procedure, the building was demolished on Sunday 17 May 2020 by police bulldozers with heavy police presence [48] at 4:30 in the morning. This action took place during the emergency state in Albania due to COVID-19 pandemic.[49]
This decision drew the widespread condemnation from several local activists, opposition political parties and artists against the Municipality of Tirana and the Albanian government. Europa Nostra called the demolition of the theatre as illegal and against the rule of law. The Delegation of EU in Albania voiced their concern regarding the lack of dialogue between the authorities and activists before the demolition took place.[50]
Incinerators
Several key people in the Municipality, all of them under the direct supervision of Veliaj, were implicated in a scandal surrounding the misappropriation of funds dedicated towards the garbage incineration plants of the city. It was discovered that the city was severely overpaying for the plants, and officials in the central government and in local municipalities had conspired to grant the tenders for the operation of the incinerators to public-private partnerships which engaged in fraud. Only one of the several plants which were part of the contract was operational until they were all seized by SPAK, the national anti-corruption agency.[51]
Veliaj was placed under arrest in 10 February 2025 to ensure he would not attempt to escape Albanian Law Enforcement, like the Former Minister Arben Ahmetaj, and as of 10 September 2025, is now a defendant and currently under trail.[52][53]
Veliaj has been in pre-trial detention for close to a year, leading Prime Minister Edi Rama to call for Veliaj's release. [54]
5D scandal
Five high-ranking directors in the Municipality were found to have conspired in creating a firm named 5D, to which several public tenders were granted. Other companies were not properly considered during the tender processes, as is required by law.[55]
The scandal has caused outrage among the opposition, who have organized protests in front of the Mayor's offices, calling for his arrest.[56] Veliaj has denied any involvement.[57]
Wealth investigation and arrest
Based on suspicion of the scandals above, in April 2024, Veliaj spent eight hours at the Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) office, providing clarifications regarding the Tirana incinerator project, linked to serious corruption allegations. After a second line of questioning in May 2024, SPAK initiated an investigation into the assets of Erion Veliaj and his family and requested information from all second-level banks in Albania regarding financial transactions, banking actions, and loans associated with Veliaj, his wife Ajola Xoxa, his mother Shqiponjë Veliaj and his brother Arbën Veliaj.[58]
On 10 February 2025, SPAK ordered Erion Veliaj's arrest on 9 charges of corruption and money laundring.[59] Veliajs wife is also under investigation and facing the same charges. SPAK found that between 2021 and 2025 she had made online purchases of luxury items amounting to a total of 86,721,175 Lekë, which are undeclared and ordered the seizing of his wife's bank accounts, which amount to a total of 869,149.78 Euro.[8]
Veliaj is currently held in the Durrës Detention Center awaiting trial.[9] On 3 November 2025 Albania’s Constitutional Court ruled that Veliaj could remain in office while on trial, overturning the municipal council’s attempt to dismiss him.[60]
Awards and honors
European Prize for Urban Public Space (2018): Awarded for the revitalization of Skanderbeg Square.[citation needed]
Innovation in Politics Award (2020): Recognized for pioneering urban development projects in Tirana.[61]
European Mobility Week Award (2019): Honored for outstanding achievements in promoting sustainable urban mobility.[62]
Green Prize (2021): Acknowledged for initiatives in environmental sustainability and the development of green infrastructure.[63]
Capital of Innovation Award (2024): Received for innovation in local governance and child-friendly city development.[64]
21Heroes2021 by TUMI (2021): Named among 21 global leaders in sustainable mobility by the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative.[65]
Doctor Honoris Causa, Grand Valley State University (2017): Conferred for contributions to public service and progressive city leadership.[66]
Lincoln Award for Public Service Excellence (2017): Presented for outstanding contributions to public service.[67]
Notes and references
Notes
↑Anuela Ristani served as acting mayor while Veliaj's mayoral powers and duties were suspended by the government from 10 February 2025 to 3 November 2025 due to his arrest,[1] but the Constitutional Court later reinstated him as mayor.[2]
12"Njoftim për shtyp, datë 10/02/2025". SPAK (in Albanian). Struktura e Posaçme kundër Korrupsionit dhe Krimit të Organizuar. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
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