Bujar Nishani (; 29 September 1966 – 28 May 2022) was an Albanian politician. He served as
President of Albania
The president of Albania ( sq, Presidenti i Shqipërisë), officially styled the President of the Republic of Albania ( sq, Presidenti i Republikës së Shqipërisë), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and the representa ...
from 24 July 2012 to 24 July 2017.
Nishani was the youngest person to have been chosen as president of Albania, taking office at the age of 45.
Before his election as president, Nishani held a number of governmental and diplomatic positions. Namely, he served as
Minister of Internal Affairs
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...
from 2007 to 2009, and again between 2011 and 2012, as well as
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
from 2009 to 2011.
Early life
Nishani was born in
Durrës
Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...
, Albania, on 29 September 1966 to a couple of teachers with roots from
Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea le ...
.
He was a distant relative of
Omer Nishani
Omer Nishani (5 February 1887 – 26 May 1954) was an Albanian medical doctor and political figure involved first in the struggle against Ahmet Zogu (known after 1928 as King Zog) in the 1920s and 1930s, and then in the struggle against the fasci ...
, Chairman of the
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...
's Presidium, but during communism Bujar changed his surname to Mehmeti.
He graduated at the
Skanderbeg Military University The Skanderbeg Military University () was an educational entity of the Albanian People's Army and the Albanian Armed Forces. It was the oldest military education institution in the People's Socialist Republic of Albania.
History
Communist era ...
in 1988, and followed up in 1996 with master's studies on "defense resources management" in the United States at the
Naval Postgraduate School
The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California.
It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...
.
In 2004, he graduated from the Law Faculty of
University of Tirana
The University of Tirana ( sq, Universiteti i Tiranës, abbreviated UT) is a public university located at the central borough of Tirana 10 in Tirana, Albania. It was established as the ''State University of Tirana'' in 1957 through merging of ...
, where he also studied
jurisprudence
Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...
. He completed his master's degree in
European studies
European studies is a field of study offered by many academic colleges and universities that focuses on current developments in European integration.
Some programmes offer a social science or public administration curriculum focusing on develop ...
in 2005.
Political career
After the
fall of communism in Albania in 1991, Nishani joined the
Democratic Party of Albania
The Democratic Party of Albania ( sq, Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë, PD or PDSH) is a conservatism in Albania, conservative list of political parties in Albania, political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the c ...
(DP).
With the appointment of
Safet Zhulali as
Minister of Defense
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
in 1992, he was hired as the ministry's expert and director of foreign relations. Two years later, in 1994, he was promoted to the office of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
dealing with relations with
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
. In 1996 he was called to work as one of Zhulali's assistants until the Democratic Party lost at the
1997 parliamentary election. It was then that Nishani began his political career.
In 2001, he was elected as general secretary of the DP's branch in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) 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 ...
and in the
2003 local election obtained a seat in the
Tirana Municipal Council
The Municipal Council of Tirana () is the legislative body of Tirana, Albania. As of 2019 it consists of 61 members who serve a 4-year term.
The members of the council are elected in local elections and the last elections were won by the Socialist ...
. Nishana became a member of the DP's National Council two years later and subsequently became a member of the party's central presidency.
Nishani won a seat for Tirana's 34th constituency in the
2005 parliamentary election, and was
re-elected in 2009.
He became
Minister of Interior
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...
on 20 March 2007, a post he held until 17 September 2009,
and again from 25 April 2011 until his elections to become the new Albanian President in June 2012.
On 10 September 2009, Prime Minister Sali Berish announced his new cabinet after being reappointed and counted on Nishani to be his
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
, an office between 17 September 2009 and 25 April 2011.
President of Albania
On 10 June 2012, the day before the fourth round of
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
in the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, the majority parties met to discuss new candidates for the country's president, as the previous three rounds of voting had been failures. The proposed list of candidates from this meeting included the name of Bujar Nishani, then Minister of the Interior, but it was agreed that the ruling party's candidate would be
Artan Hoxha. The following day, Hoxha, due to fierce criticism from the opposition, withdrew his candidacy. After the vote was postponed to the afternoon, the government finally proposed Nishani. In the parliamentary session, Nishani won with 73 votes, all from the ruling party lawmakers; opposition deputies from the Socialist Party, in an attempt to boycott it, did not take part in the voting despite being present.
He was sworn in on 24 July 2012, becoming the country's youngest president ever; in his inaugural speech, he announced that his priority was to reform the judicial system, as well as Albania's integration into the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
.
![Bujar Nishani September 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Bujar_Nishani_September_2012.jpg)
His first state visit abroad was in
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
in August 2012. After meeting with President
Atifete Jahjaga
Atifete Jahjaga (; born 20 April 1975) is a Kosovar Albanian politician who served as the third President of Kosovo. She was the first female President of the Republic of Kosovo, the first non-partisan candidate and the youngest female head of ...
, Nishani expressed Albania's support for
Kosovo's independence, stating that it was irreversible and that dialogue was necessary to resolve any problems with Serbia. The Kosovar issue was high on his diplomatic agenda. In 2013, he did not attend the summit of ministers of the
South-East European Cooperation Process
The South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) was launched on Bulgaria's initiative in 1996. At the Bulgaria-chaired meeting in Sofia, the Southeast Europe (SEE) countries laid the foundations for regional co-operation for the purposes of c ...
, which was held on 31 May in Macedonia, because, due to objections from Serbia, the president of Kosovo was not invited. In 2016, he called on the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
to recognize Kosovo's independence.
On 16 November 2012, Nishani received the body of the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
Zog I
Zog I ( sq, Naltmadhnija e tij Zogu I, Mbreti i Shqiptarëve, ; 8 October 18959 April 1961), born Ahmed Muhtar bey Zogolli, taking the name Ahmet Zogu in 1922, was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's ...
, who had died in exile more than 50 years earlier.
In July 2013, he called a referendum on 22 December for citizens to decide on trash imports to the country. In August 2013 he ignored opposition from the head of the Albanian Armed Forces,
Xhemal Gjunkshi, and transferred ownership of a large building in Tirana from the Army to the
Democratic Party of Albania
The Democratic Party of Albania ( sq, Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë, PD or PDSH) is a conservatism in Albania, conservative list of political parties in Albania, political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the c ...
for the party's new headquarters. After the
September parliamentary election, he named
Edi Rama
Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama, 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, painter, writer, former university lecturer, publicist and former basketball player, who has served as the 33rd and current Prime Minister of Albania since 2013 and chairm ...
as the new
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
.
Nishani demanded to the
President of Greece
The president of Greece, officially the President of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Próedros tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), commonly referred to in Greek as the President of the Rep ...
Karolos Papoulias
Karolos Papoulias ( el, Κάρολος Παπούλιας ; 4 June 1929 – 26 December 2021) was a Greek politician who served as the president of Greece from 2005 to 2015.
A member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), he previously ...
, in November 2013, that the Greek parliament abolish the war against Albania, declared in 1940, in an attempt to resolve above all the
Cham issue. He added that Albania was ready to resolve the maritime border delimitation dispute with Greece in accordance with international law.
In 2014, he criticized the lack of transparency in the process of approval of the package of laws on the armed forces and the Defense Intelligence and Security Agency, and rejected the reform of the
Albanian judicial system, as he considered that it should be carried out by judges and not politicians.
Due to the protests in
Macedonia in May 2015 in which several protesters died, he called to "investigate as soon as possible and shed light quickly and completely on this dark and unclear incident that has shaken not only
Kumanovo
Kumanovo ( mk, Куманово ; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in North Macedonia and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic of Macedonia by population, largest municipali ...
, but also the international community".
The parliament, on 17 December 2015, passed the law prohibiting those with a criminal record for certain serious crimes from holding public office. In an unusual gesture, Nishani presented a decree for the law to take effect the same moment of parliamentary approval.
![Kancelaria Premiera Follow Wizyta premier Beaty Szydło w Albanii](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Kancelaria_Premiera_Follow_Wizyta_premier_Beaty_Szyd%C5%82o_w_Albanii.jpg)
In April 2016, he opposed the law presented by the government equating citizenship with arms, considering it "inadequate" and "not positive" The election of nine new
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
judges on 26 June 2016 caused much controversy at the top of the judiciary, as five of them accused Nishani and president of the Supreme Court of acting without complying with the legally prescribed form.
During his final address to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, at the
71st Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2016, he stated that Albania would address global challenges in close cooperation with others, and that Albania's actions would include increasing humanitarian aid, ratifying the
Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, Climate change a ...
on climate change and implementing all commitments in the security realm.
During most state visits abroad, Nishani's policy was maximally oriented towards strengthening good-neighborly relations, citing its support for Kosovo's participation in all multilateral regional and international activities.
Nishani's term ended on 24 July 2017 and was succeeded by
Ilir Meta
Ilir Rexhep Meta (; born 24 March 1969) is an Albanian politician. He served as President of Albania from 24 July 2017 to 24 July 2022.
Previously Meta served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 and he was Speaker of the Parliament of Albania f ...
, who took office after winning the
2017 Albanian presidential election.
Personal life and death
Nishani was married to
Odeta Nishani and had two children.
He was fluent in English.
He was a Muslim and on 21 April 2017, he became the first Albanian president to make a
pilgrimage to Mecca.
In 2008, he underwent surgery for a
cerebral cavernoma; and retook his duties as Minister of Interior only two weeks after.
Nishani was admited to the hospital for complications of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
caused by post-COVID-19 fibrosis left in his lungs. On 23 April 2022, he was transferred to Germany for specialized treatment. He died in Berlin, Germany at 7 a.m. (06 UTC) of 28 May 2022, at the age of 55.
In the afternoon of 31 May, his body arrived in the country from Germany with a hearse crossing the Kosovo-Albania border
Morina
''Morina'' is a genus of the angiosperm family Caprifoliaceae. It is unofficially the provincial flower of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none) ...
. After the arrival, his body was lay in state in the Presidential Palace. The government declared a day of national mourning for 2 June. The
state funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...
took place on that day, from 10:00 to 12:00 and Nishani was buried in the Sharra public cemetery in Tirana.
Honours
* Honorary Citizen of
Libohova, Albania (2013)
* Honorary Citizen of
Shkodër
Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...
, Albania (2016)
* Honorary Citizen of
Prizren
)
, settlement_type = Municipality and city
, image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg
, imagesize = 290px
, image_caption = View of Prizren
, image_alt = View of Prizren
, image_flag ...
, Kosovo (2017)
* Honorary Citizen of
Glogovac
Drenas, also known as Gllogoc or Glogovac, is a town and municipality in central Kosovo. As of the 2011 census, there were 6,143 people residing in Drenas and 58,531 in the municipality.
History
The municipality of Drenas was established be ...
, Kosovo (2017)
Foreign honours
* Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
The highest-ranking ...
(2014)
*
Raoul Wallenberg Award
The Raoul Wallenberg Award is bestowed by The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of the United States on "individuals, organizations, and communities whose courage, selflessness and success against great odds personified those of Raoul Wallenberg himsel ...
(United States, 2015)
* First class
Order of the Balkan Mountains (Bulgaria, 2016)
* Collar of the
Order ''pro Merito Melitensi'' (Order of Malta, 2016)
*
Order of Freedom (Kosovo, 2017)
* Knight Grand Collar of the Equestrian Order of Michael Archangel (Royal House of Ghassan, 2017)
See also
*
List of state visits made by Bujar Nishani
*
Politics of Albania
Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, where the President of Albania is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Albania the head of government in a multi-party system. The executive power is exercised by the Government a ...
References
External links
MP pageat the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nishani, Bujar
1966 births
2022 deaths
People from Durrës
Presidents of Albania
Albanian Sufis
Democratic Party of Albania politicians
Government ministers of Albania
Interior ministers of Albania
Justice ministers of Albania
Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Recipients of the Order pro Merito Melitensi
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Albania
21st-century Albanian politicians