Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country,enclosed by mountains and hills,with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. It is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe,with 2,544 hours of sun per year.
Sali Ram Berisha is an Albanian cardiologist and conservative politician who served as the president of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and 32nd prime minister from 2005 to 2013. Berisha serves as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania since 2022 and has held the position previously from 1990 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2013. He also serves as the incumbent Leader of Opposition in the Albanian parliament.
Edi Rama is an Albanian politician and painter who has been serving as the 33rd and incumbent prime minister of Albania since 2013 and chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania since 2005. He was Minister of Culture,Youth and Sports from 1998 to 2000. First elected mayor of Tirana in 2000,he was reelected in 2003 and 2007.
Fatos Thanas Nano is an Albanian socialist politician who served as Prime Minister of Albania in 1991,from 1997 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2005. He was the first leader and founder of the Socialist Party of Albania and a member of the Albanian Parliament from 1991 to 1993 and 1997 to 2009. He reformed the anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninist ideology of the Labor Party of Albania into social democracy for its successor,the Socialist Party. During his leadership,the Socialist Party,as a result of reforms,joined the Socialist International and Party of European Socialists. Nano was a candidate in the 2007 presidential election but did not win. He again tried in the 2012 presidential election,but he did not even qualify as a candidate,because the leaders of parties in Parliament obstructed their respective MPs to elect him as candidate in the elections.
The Democratic Party of Albania is a conservative political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the country since 2013.
Ilir Rexhep Meta is an Albanian politician. He served as the president of Albania from 24 July 2017 to 24 July 2022.
Lulzim Basha is an Albanian lawyer and former politician who served as chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania and as the Leader of the Opposition from 2013 to 2022 and again from 2023 until 2024.
Arben Malaj has been Minister of Finance and Economy in the Republic of Albania different times from 1997 until 2005. He is known for transforming the Albanian economy into a European profile,after the hard social-economic crisis that this country passed during the year 1997. He served as a Member of the Albanian Parliament from 1997 to 2013 chairing the Parliamentary Committee on Economy and Finance.
Bujar Faik Nishani was an Albanian politician. He served as the president of Albania from 24 July 2012 to 24 July 2017.
The 2011 Albanian opposition demonstrations were a series of anti-government protests in cities around Albania following 18 months of political conflict over alleged electoral fraud by the opposition. A video surfaced which portrayed the deputy prime minister arranging a corrupt deal with the minister of economy. The public outcry over the video resulted in the resignation of the deputy prime minister,Ilir Meta. A demonstration was called by parliamentary opposition parties,which include the Socialist Party and the Unity for Human Rights Party. These were called on 21 January in order to protest the alleged corruption of the Albanian government as well as widespread unemployment and poverty in the country.
Blendi Klosi is an Albanian Socialist Party politician and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Berat. On 13 September 2017,Mr. Klosi was appointed as Minister of Tourism and Environment by the 2nd Rama government.
Ben Blushi is an Albanian politician,writer and journalist.
Mimi Kodheli is an Albanian economist and politician who served as Minister of Defense of Albania in the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama. She was the first woman to be appointed to the post.
Jorida Tabaku is an Albanian liberal politician with the Democratic Party of Albania. During the Tirana mayoral leadership of former DP leader Lulzim Basha,she served as deputy-mayor in the years 2011–2015.
Saimir Tahiri is a convicted Albanian politician,who served as the Minister of Interior Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama from 2013 to 2017.
Erion Veliaj is an Albanian,politician,who is currently serving as the Mayor of Tirana. Stemming from a civil society activism organization as the leader of MJAFT!,Veliaj joined the ranks of the Socialist Party of Albania in 2011,when he was appointed Secretary for Youth and Immigration.
Ledina Mandia served as Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet of Albania. She was the third woman to be appointed to the position. She is a technocrat,independent politician,appointed to the post after months of opposition demonstrations,demanding technocrat Ministers in the government. She was proposed by the Democratic Party.
Olta Xhaçka is an Albanian politician and Socialist Party member of Parliament. She served as the minister of Europe and foreign affairs from January 2021 to September 2023. She served as Albanian minister of social welfare and youth between March 2017 to August 2017 and as minister of defense from September 2017 to December 2020.
Ogerta Manastirliu is an Albanian Socialist Party politician. She is the Minister of Education,Sport and Youth of Albania since 12 September 2023 and Member of Parliament (MP) for Tirana. On 13 March 2017,she was appointed as Minister of Health. She held the office until 21 May 2017,due to the general election.
Senida Mesi is an Albanian politician and professor. She served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Albania from 13 September 2017 to 17 January 2019. She also has been a member of parliament representing Shkodër from 2017 to 2021.
