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Edi Rama

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Edi Rama
Prime Minister of Albania
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 September 2013
PresidentBujar Nishani
Preceded bySali Berisha
Chairman of the Socialist Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 October 2005
Preceded byFatos Nano
Mayor of Tirana
In office
October 2000 – 25 July 2011
Preceded byAlbert Brojka
Succeeded byLulzim Basha
Personal details
Born (1964-07-04) 4 July 1964 (age 60)
Tirana, Albania
Political partySocialist Party
Spouse(s)Matilda Makoci (Divorced)
Lindita Rama
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website

Edi Rama (born 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician who has been the Prime Minister of Albania since 2013. He has also been leader of the Socialist Party of Albania since 2005. Rama served in the government as Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports from 1998 to 2000, and he was Mayor of Tirana from 2000 to 2011. Rama led a coalition of socialist and left-wing parties that won the June 2013 parliamentary election, defeating the conservative bloc of Prime Minister Sali Berisha.

Personal history

Edi Rama was born in Tirana, Albania, to Kristaq Rama, Albanian sculptor and a native of Durrës, and Aneta Rama, a graduate in medicine from the region of Himara. As a teenager Rama got involved in sports[2] by becoming a player of Dinamo, a leading basketball team, and the Albanian national team[citation needed]. Following the collapse of Communism in Albania, he became involved with the first democratic movements. He entered the student movement[3] but soon left after a quarrel over ideological matters.[4] Meanwhile, while a professor at the Academy of Arts of Albania, Rama published a book with various notes together with publicist Ardian Klosi entitled Refleksione.[5] He also became engaged and later married actress Matilda Makoçi, with whom he had a son, Gregor Rama.[6] He separated from Makoçi and in 1994 emigrated abroad.[7] Upon arriving in France, he conducted the life of an artist by taking part in many exhibitions with his close friend, Anri Sala.[8] In January 1997, during one of his trips back to Albania he was physically assaulted.[9]

In 1998, Edi Rama was asked by Prime Minister Fatos Nano to become Minister of Culture. He accepted and immediately became known for his extravagance in a variety of ways.[10] In October 2000, he entered and won the race for the Tirana mayorship as Socialist Party candidate against writer Besnik Mustafaj. After taking office, he undertook a radical campaign to return many portions of Tirana's center and Lana River into their original forms by demolishing hundreds of illegal buildings.

In 2003, he appeared before the Albanian parliament in an inquiry commission on abuse of funds in the Municipality of Tirana. During the session, he was seen speaking using a loudspeaker.[11] The commission was eventually closed and Rama acquitted. In 2003, he won a second term by defeating lawyer Spartak Ngjela, and a third consecutive term by beating DP candidate Sokol Olldashi. During the latter campaign, his rivals published some photos of Rama in intimate poses on a nudist beach in southern France.[12]

In October 2005, Rama became the leader of the Socialist Party following the resignation of Fatos Nano. As mayor he compiled the Tirana City Master Plan including the Skanderbeg Square project.[13] In 2010, Rama married Lindita Basha (also known as Lindita Xhillari), a civil society activist.[14][15] In the 2011 local elections, Rama lost by a small margin to a young candidate of the Coalition of the Citizen, Lulzim Basha. The elections were criticized by the monitors and the international community as they were decided in a debatable court ruling.[16] The first ballot count gave Rama the victory by a margin of 10 votes, but afterwards the Central Electoral Committee decided to open the ballot boxes and count the ballots cast in the wrong boxes. In November 2011, Rama published a reflection book on his years as Mayor of Tirana entitled Kurban.

Life as a painter

Rama is also author of several personal painting exhibitions in Europe, North and South America, and other. Personal exhibitions include Janos Gallery, New York (1993)[citation needed], Place de Mediatheque, France (1995)[citation needed], Palais Jalta, Frankfurt (1997)[citation needed], Acud, Berlin (1993)[citation needed], São Paulo, Brazil (1994)[citation needed], Israel (1995)[citation needed], National Gallery, Albania (1992) and Gallery XXI, Albania (1999)[citation needed]. He is no longer active as an artist.[citation needed]

In 2009, Rama published a collection of personal notes and paintings in a book entitled Edi Rama.[17]

Impact on Tirana

Rama's most noted impact on the city of Tirana has been the many kiosk demolitions in the city during his mayorship. Rama's Return to Identity project rid the city of many illegally constructed buildings on municipal lands such as local parks and the banks of the Lana. During this period as mayor he was heavily supported by the Prime Minister of Albania at the time, Ilir Meta, who channeled numerous funds from the central government to the local authority of Tirana, enabling Rama to implement the cleaning master project.

In an attempt to widen roads, he authorized the bulldozing of private properties so that they could be paved over, thus widening streets. He has been accused of corruption and mismanagement of funds by the opposition, including corruption in the issuance of building permits.

His Clean and Green project in 2000 resulted in the production of 96,700 square metres of green land and parks in the city and the planting of nearly 1,800 trees.[citation needed] He also ordered the painting of many old buildings in what has come to be known as Edi Rama colours (very bright pink, yellow, green, violet). Rama's critics claimed that he focused too much attention on cosmetic changes without fixing any of the major problems such as shortages of drinking water and electricity. As of the end of Rama's 11-year mayoral term, running water in Tirana continued to be available for only 6 hours a day.[citation needed]

Politics

The two socialist leaders of Albania and Greece in 2011, Edi Rama and George Papandreou

Edi Rama is also the head of the left wing in Albania. He became head of SPA in October 2005. In the 2009 elections, SPA was the most voted party, but got only 65 seats on the parliament out of 140 because of the electoral system[citation needed]. SMI and DPA formed a coalition and a government, while SPA started a few protests for "the transparency of vote". Nowadays, the SPA members of the parliament have joined the Parliament sessions and co-work with their right-wing colleagues.

Rama is being criticised by a group of SPA politicians like Fatos Nano, Arben Malaj, Kastriot Islami, Andis Harasani of leading the party with authoritarian methods. These accusations may be because he has excluded from the Socialist Party founding member with major contributions in the party and has not appreciated the great contribution of Fatos Nano in the Socialist Party. The second-most-powerful person in SPA is 59 year old Gramoz Ruçi, the head of the Parliamentarian group and former chief of secret police during communist dictatorship.[citation needed]

Rama said of his time as mayor of Tirana: "It's the most exciting job in the world, because I get to invent and to fight for good causes everyday. Being the mayor of Tirana is the highest form of conceptual art. It's art in a pure state."[18]

On 21 January 2011, Rama took part in the 2011 Albanian opposition demonstrations, in which four people were killed and 150 injured.

Social media

Recently, Rama has started to use social media tools such as Twitter or Facebook to communicate with the electorate and others in general.[citation needed] Although the social media use of Rama is contested, because he is reported to insult people rejecting his ideas.[19][20]

Prime Minister

Main article: Rama Government

In June 2013, his Socialist party and coalition partners won a majority in the 2013 parliamentary election. After parliament convened on 9 September, the next day President Bujar Nishani named him prime minister and asked him to form a government.[21] Amongst his first tasks, Rama restructured the domestic security infrastructure in a bid to tackle rising crime.[22]

Awards

In October 2002, Edi Rama was given an award by Kofi Annan in light of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.[23]

In 2003, Rama was chosen to be a visiting professor in the 2002/03 Robert C. Wood Visiting Professorship of Public and Urban Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston and Harvard University.[citation needed]

In December 2004, Rama was named the World Mayor 2004, in an international competition that took place over one year, based on direct voting by Internet, organized by the non-commercial organization CITYMAYORS, located in London.[24]

Rama was chosen by Time Magazine to be one of the 2005 European Heroes, a tribute given by the Magazine to 37 people who are changing the world for the better.[25]

Books

  • Rama, Edi. Kurban. Dudaj: Tiranë, 2011
  • Rama, Edi. Edi Rama. 2009
  • Rama, Edi and Ardian Klosi. Refleksione. 1991

See also

References

  1. ^ http://botasot.info/shqiperia/259936/popull-mysliman-20-vite-kryeministra-te-krishtere-meksi-majko-nano-rama/
  2. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3815985.stm
  3. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vFKikDLRzg Portret kryeministri ne rini - Zone e Ndaluar 1 Korrik 2013 - Pjesa e dyte, Vizion Plus TV
  4. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vFKikDLRzg Portret kryeministri ne rini - Zone e Ndaluar 1 Korrik 2013 - Pjesa e dyte, Vizion Plus TV
  5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vFKikDLRzg Portret kryeministri ne rini - Zone e Ndaluar 1 Korrik 2013 - Pjesa e dyte, Vizion Plus TV
  6. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shfzprjTD9M Zone e Ndaluar - Kurora e Rames - Pjesa 2 - Vizion Plus - Dossier
  7. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vFKikDLRzg Portret kryeministri ne rini - Zone e Ndaluar 1 Korrik 2013 - Pjesa e dyte, Vizion Plus TV
  8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vFKikDLRzg Portret kryeministri ne rini - Zone e Ndaluar 1 Korrik 2013 - Pjesa e dyte, Vizion Plus TV
  9. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vFKikDLRzg Portret kryeministri ne rini - Zone e Ndaluar 1 Korrik 2013 - Pjesa e dyte, Vizion Plus TV
  10. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ypsZmFjnjo Zone e Ndaluar:28 Nentor 2011 - Vizion Plus - Dossier
  11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ypsZmFjnjo Zone e Ndaluar:28 Nentor 2011 - Vizion Plus - Dossier
  12. ^ http://www.gazeta55.al/index.php?kat=politike&artikulli=10475
  13. ^ Skanderbeg Square#New plan
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shfzprjTD9M Zone e Ndaluar - Kurora e Rames - Pjesa 2 - Vizion Plus - Dossier
  16. ^ Albanian local elections, 2011#Tirana election
  17. ^ http://www.alsat.tv/kulture/promovohet-libri-i-edi-rames.html
  18. ^ http://www.internationalspecialreports.com/europe/albania/youvegottotear.html
  19. ^ "Debatet e Ramës në Twitter "..derr, bajgë e ferrit, llaxore"". Ekspres.al. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  20. ^ Gazeta Rilindja Demokratike, Rama ne Twitter: Derr, bajge, llaxore, page 2, Date: 02 December 2012
  21. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/albania-names-socialists-edi-rama-as-new-prime-minister/2013/09/10/cabdd0f8-1a13-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html
  22. ^ http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albania-restructures-its-police-force
  23. ^ http://www.oecd.org/speaker/0,3438,en_21571361_31938349_38759801_1_1_1_1,00.html
  24. ^ City Mayors
  25. ^ http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1112793,00.html

Further reading

  • Budini, Belina. Edi Rama, Politikani Pop(ulist)-Star, Tirana: UET Press, 2009. ISBN 978-99956-39-11-2
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Tirana
2000–2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Albania
2013–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the Socialist Party
2005–present 		Incumbent

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