Lulzim Basha

Lulzim Basha
File:Lulzim Basha 2012.jpg
Leader of the Democratic Party of Albania
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 July 2013
Preceded by	Sali Berisha
Mayor of Tirana
In office 25 July 2011 – July 2015
Preceded by	Edi Rama
Succeeded by	Erion Veliaj
Minister of the Interior
In office 2009–2011
Prime Minister	Sali Berisha
Preceded by	Bujar Nishani
Succeeded by	Bujar Nishani
63rd Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 2007–2009
Prime Minister	Sali Berisha
Preceded by	Besnik Mustafaj
Succeeded by	Ilir Meta
Minister of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunications
In office 2005–2007
Prime Minister	Sali Berisha
Preceded by	Spartak Poci
Succeeded by	Sokol Olldashi
Personal details
Born	(1974-06-12) 12 June 1974 Tirana, Albania
Political party	Democratic Party of Albania
Residence	Tirana
Alma mater	Utrecht University
Signature	Lulzim Basha's signature

Lulzim Basha (; born 12 June 1974) is a prominent Albanian politician who was Mayor of Tirana, the capital of Albania, from 2011 to 2015. He has also been leader of the Democratic Party of Albania, the main opposition party, since 2013.

Prior to being elected Mayor of Tirana, Basha was twice elected as member of Parliament representing Tirana (2005-2009) and Elbasan (2009-2011). During that period he served as Albania's Minister of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunications (2005-2007), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007-2009), and Minister of the Interior (2009–2011).

Early life and education

Lulzim Basha was born in Tirana on 12 June 1974. His family hails from Drenica in Kosovo, from where they were expelled by the Yugoslav Partisans. After attending the Sami Frashëri High School, he studied law at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as member of the investigation team of war crimes of Serbian forces in Kosovo (1998–1999).

In 2000 Basha joined the Department of Justice of the UN administration of Kosovo, UNMIK, first as legal advisor and then as Deputy Chief of Cabinet of the Director of the UNMIK Justice Department since October 2001 . From November 2002 until January 2005 Basha served as special advisor for Transition in the same department.

Political career

Basha with Condoleezza Rice

Basha joined the Democratic Party of Albania in January 2005 and became a member of the party's Presidency in May of that year. He has since held several ministerial positions in Democratic Party-led governments.

He served as the party's spokesperson during the 2005 parliamentary elections at which he was elected to the Albanian Parliament as the MP of Constituency #33 in Tirana. He was then nominated in the Berisha government as Minister of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunications, where he served for a period of two years. Basha initiated the major infrastructural work in Albanian history, Durrës-Kukes Highway, involving the construction of a 5.6 km tunnel. In 2007, the Chief Prosecutor of Albania Theodhori Sollaku asked the parliament to lift Basha's immunity from prosecution so he could begin an investigation into possible political corruption and abuse of power charges. This was in regard to the awarding of the highway construction contract to Bechtel-ENKA, a U.S.-Turkish joint venture. These charges were filed after the Chief Prosecutor himself had been impeached by the Parliament on charges of collusion with organized crime. Basha said that the charges were politically motivated, although he asked the Parliament to lift his immunity. Consequently, the Supreme Court of Albania after a legal process relieved him of all the charges.

Basha served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from May 2007 until his appointment as Minister of Interior in September 2009. During his term, Albania was admitted to NATO, applied for EU membership and started the dialogue to secure visa free travel for its citizens to the Schengen countries.

After the 2009 election, Basha was nominated as Minister of Interior in the new Berisha government. As Minister of Interior, he implemented all the required criteria for visa-free travel to the Schengen countries, including the modernisation of the Albanian border and immigration police system, the issuing of high security biometric passports and a tougher fight against criminal activity and criminal assets. These steps won international praise, notably by EUROPOL and other law enforcement bodies, and led to the decision of the EU on 8 November 2010 to lift all travel visa requirements for Albanian citizens effective 15 December 2010.

In 2011 Basha was the governing-party candidate as mayor of Tirana. He defeated by a very narrow margin (only 81 votes after the recount) the then-leader of the Socialist opposition, Edi Rama, in a hotly contested election. He remained in charge as mayor until 2015.

Since 2013 Basha is chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania, elected following the resignation of former PM Sali Berisha after the defeat of the Democratic-party-led coalition in the Albanian parliamentary election, 2013.

References

Political offices
Preceded by Spartak Poci	Minister of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunications of Albania 2005-2007	Succeeded by Sokol Olldashi
Preceded by Besnik Mustafaj	Foreign Minister of Albania 2007-2009	Succeeded by Ilir Meta
Preceded by Bujar Nishani	Minister of Interior of Albania 2009-2011	Succeeded by Bujar Nishani
Preceded by Edi Rama	Mayor of Tirana 2011 – 2015	Succeeded by Erion Veliaj
Preceded by Sali Berisha	Leader of Democratic Party of Albania 2013 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent

External links

• Emergency Services by Lulzim Basha Homepage
• Mr. Lulzim Basha – 2011's Elections campaign official Page on Facebook