Erion Veliaj (born December 17, 1979) is an Albanian politician, who is currently serving as the
Mayor of Tirana
The Mayor of Tirana ( sq, Kryetari i Bashkisë së Tiranës) is the head of the General Assembly in Tirana, Albania. The mayor including with his cabinet, exercises the executive power of the city and is directly elected together with the ''City C ...
. Stemming from a civil society activism organization as the leader of
MJAFT!
MJAFT! () is a non governmental organisation in Albania that is partly funded by the U.S. government.
See also
* Erion Veliaj
* Elisa Spiropali
* Politics of Albania
* Color Revolution
References
{{commons category, MJAFT!
External links
Of ...
, Veliaj joined the ranks of the
Socialist Party of Albania
The Socialist Party of Albania ( sq, Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë, PS or PSSh) is a social-democratic political party in Albania. It has been described as centre-left, to left-wing. It was founded on 13 June 1991. The PS is an associate of t ...
in 2011, when he was appointed Secretary for Youth and Immigration.
Previously he has served as a
Member of the Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members often ...
for the district of
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 ...
and as
Minister of Social Welfare and Youth under
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 ...
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 ...
.
In April 2015, Veliaj was appointed as mayoral candidate of the Socialist Party in the city of Tirana. He won the elections and took office on July 31, 2015.
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. He attended the Sami Frashëri High School in Tirana and then later
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...
in Allendale,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
where he graduated with a B.A. in political science. He received his master's degree in European Integration from the
University of Sussex
, mottoeng = Be Still and Know
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £14.4 million (2020)
, budget = £319.6 million (2019–20)
, chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar
, vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil
, ...
. Before returning to Albania, Veliaj worked with several international humanitarian organizations in the Americas, Eastern Africa, and Kosovo.
Veliaj is from a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
family which first left
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
and later became an atheist. Getting in contact with missionaries from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, Erion Veliaj converted to
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...
. His
Mjaft organisation showed the controversial
Muhammad cartoons
The ''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons controversy (or Muhammad cartoons crisis, da, Muhammedkrisen) began after the Danish newspaper ''Jyllands-Posten'' published 12 editorial cartoons on 30 September 2005, most of which depicted Muhamma ...
on its pages.
On April 30, 2017, as Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj received “Doctor Honoris Causa” extended by the Grand Valley State University in the US for the contribution made in public services.
He is married and has a son.
Political career
MJAFT!
Veliaj was one of the earliest activists of
MJAFT!
MJAFT! () is a non governmental organisation in Albania that is partly funded by the U.S. government.
See also
* Erion Veliaj
* Elisa Spiropali
* Politics of Albania
* Color Revolution
References
{{commons category, MJAFT!
External links
Of ...
, 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
The ''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons controversy (or Muhammad cartoons crisis, da, Muhammedkrisen) began after the Danish newspaper ''Jyllands-Posten'' published 12 editorial cartoons on 30 September 2005, most of which depicted Muhamma ...
on its pages when Veliaj was a leader of it.
In 2004, ‘MJAFT!’ was granted the United Nations Award for Civil Society by Kofi Annan for its exemplary and highly efficient methods of protest.
G99
In 2008, Erion Veliaj and a few other activists from MJAFT! created
G99 (Group 99), a center-left political party. While initially unaligned, G99 ended up joining other political parties of the center-left coalition in the 2009 Parliamentary Election. Erion Veliaj ran as G99's leading candidate for the district of Tirana. Despite the media attention, Erion Veliaj and G99 only earned 0.86% of the vote, failing to win a seat in the Parliament. In 2011, Veliaj leaves G99 and joins the
Socialist Party of Albania
The Socialist Party of Albania ( sq, Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë, PS or PSSh) is a social-democratic political party in Albania. It has been described as centre-left, to left-wing. It was founded on 13 June 1991. The PS is an associate of t ...
.
Socialist Party of Albania
In the Socialist Party, Veliaj was nominated to serve as Secretary for Youth and Emigration. In 2013, he was nominated as a candidate for MP representing the district of
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 ...
. 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
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 ...
's new cabinet. 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 Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
's candidate, Halim Kosova and the independent candidate,
Gjergj Bojaxhi.
Mayor of Tirana
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
Halim or Haleem ( ar, حليم ) is an Arabic masculine given name which means gentle, forbearing, mild, patient, understanding, indulgent, slow to anger.Golziher, Ignaz, ''Muslim Studies'', ed. S.M. Stern (Albany: State University of New York Pr ...
, 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. In September 2015, Tirana organized its first vehicle-free day. In January 2017 the new
Skanderbeg Square
The Skanderbeg Square () is the main plaza in the centre of Tirana, Albania. The square is named after the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu. The total area is about 40,000 square metres. The Skanderbeg Monument dominates the ...
was inaugurated by Veliaj and the Prime Minister. 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. During his term as Mayor, he has earned the nickname "Lali Eri", which can be translated as "Big Brother Eri"
Notable projects of the Municipality of Tirana
* Reja (the cloud), a project from
Sou Fujimoto
is a Japanese architect.
Born in Hokkaido in 1971, he graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1994, and established his own office, Sou Fujimoto Architects, in 2000. Noted for delicate light structures and permeable enclosures, Fujimoto desig ...
.
* Plastic bags reduction project
*
Skanderbeg Square
The Skanderbeg Square () is the main plaza in the centre of Tirana, Albania. The square is named after the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu. The total area is about 40,000 square metres. The Skanderbeg Monument dominates the ...
- featured also as one of the installations at the 2017
Chicago Architecture Biennial.
*
Pazari i Ri, in an urban renewal project, the "New Bazaar" neighbourhood was rebuilt.
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.
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?"
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.
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 at 4:30 in the morning. This action took place during the emergency state in Albania due to
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
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
Europa Nostra (Italian for "Our Europe") is a pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, representing citizens' organisations that work on safeguarding Europe's cultural and natural heritage. It is the voice of this movement to relevant intern ...
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.
References
External links
Portraits – Return to Europe: Erion Veliaj, AlbaniaThe Albanian Renaissance Documentary*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veliaj, Erion
1979 births
Living people
Members of the Parliament of Albania
Government ministers of Albania
Youth ministers of Albania
Mayors of Tirana
Converts to evangelical Christianity
Albanian former Muslims
Converts to Protestantism from Islam
Albanian evangelicals
Former Muslims turned agnostics or atheists
Converts to Protestantism from atheism or agnosticism
Socialist Party of Albania politicians
Grand Valley State University alumni
Alumni of the University of Sussex