Pandeli Evangjeli (6 January 1859 – 14 September 1949) was an Albanian politician who served two terms as the 7th

Prime Minister of Albania The Prime Minister of Albania ( sq, Kryeministri i Shqipërisë), officially styled Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania ( sq, Kryeministri i Republikës së Shqipërisë), is the head of government of the Republic of Albania and the mo ...

. He was the first Orthodox Christian to head the Albanian government.

Early life and career

Born in

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau som ...

in 1859, he spent most of his youth in the Albania colony of Bucharest. He became chairman of the society "Dituria" ("Knowledge") in 1897, and contributed in the establishment of a local "Committee for the Liberation of Albania", one of the many of that time. He became prefect of his native city in 1914 after returning from

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

Prime Minister of Albania

As part of the government of

Sulejman Delvina Sulejman bey Delvina, also known as ''Sylejman Fehmi'' (5 October 1871 – 1 August 1932), was an Albanian politician and prime minister from March to November 1920. Biography Early life Sulejman Delvina was born on 5 October 1871 in ...

, he was soon part of the Albanian delegation in the Paris Peace Conference in 1920. He was then elected a member of the parliament, then Prime Minister from 16 October 1921 to 5 December 1921. From 1922 to 1924 he was Foreign Minister. During Fan Noli's tenure after the

June Revolution The history of Albania forms a part of the history of Europe. During classical antiquity, Albania was home to several Illyrian tribes such as the Ardiaei, Albanoi, Amantini, Enchele, Taulantii and many others, but also Thracian and Greek tribe ...

he exiled in

, returning in 1925 when he was elected Head of the Senate. As a representative of Korça, he headed the session that proclaimed Albania as a

Constitutional Monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

and Ahmet Zogu as King of Albania. A strong supporter of Zog, he directed three cabinets as Prime Minister from 1930 to 1935. He was replaced by

Mehdi Frashëri Mehdi bey Frashëri (28 February 1872 – 25 May 1963) was an Albanian intellectual and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Albania in the 1930s and as Chairman of the Provisional Administration Committee in the Albanian puppet governm ...

after he was criticized for "failing to maintain peace and order" during the Revolt of Fier in 1935. He served as Parliamentary President until the Italian invasion of 1939. Although he was considered a pro-Italian, and his name appears in the Assembly list of 1943, he did not play an active role during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

did not persecute him.

Death

Evangjeli died in Korçë in 1949.

References

1859 births 1949 deaths People from Korçë People from Manastir vilayet Eastern Orthodox Christians from Albania Members of the Albanian Orthodox Church Foreign ministers of Albania Prime Ministers of Albania Albanian diplomats Albanian monarchists Albanian expatriates in Romania Activists of the Albanian National Awakening Speakers of the Parliament of Albania Members of the Parliament of Albania {{Albania-politician-stub

Early life and career

Prime Minister of Albania

Death

See also

References