Lulzim Basha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lulzim Basha
Basha in 2016
Leader of the Opposition
In office 30 July 2023 – 11 June 2024
President	Bajram Begaj
Prime Minister	Edi Rama
Preceded by	Enkelejd Alibeaj
Succeeded by	Sali Berisha
In office 15 September 2013 – 21 March 2022
President	Bujar Nishani Ilir Meta
Prime Minister	Edi Rama
Preceded by	Edi Rama
Succeeded by	Enkelejd Alibeaj
Leader of the Democratic Party
In office 30 July 2023 – 11 June 2024
Preceded by	Enkelejd Alibeaj
Succeeded by	Sali Berisha
In office 22 July 2013 – 21 March 2022
Preceded by	Sali Berisha
Succeeded by	Enkelejd Alibeaj
Other political offices 2005–⁠2015 41st Mayor of Tirana In office 25 July 2011 – 21 July 2015 Preceded by Edi Rama Succeeded by Erion Veliaj 28th Minister of the Interior In office 17 September 2009 – 25 April 2011 Prime Minister Sali Berisha Preceded by Bujar Nishani Succeeded by Bujar Nishani 47th Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 24 April 2007 – 17 September 2009 Prime Minister Sali Berisha Preceded by Besnik Mustafaj Succeeded by Ilir Meta Minister of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunications In office 11 September 2005 – 24 April 2007 Prime Minister Sali Berisha Preceded by Spartak Poçi Succeeded by Sokol Olldashi
Personal details
Born	(1974-06-12) 12 June 1974 (age 51) Tirana, Albania
Political party	Euroatlantic Democrats (2024–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic Party (2005–2024)
Spouse	Aurela Basha
Children	2
Alma mater	Utrecht University (LLB)
Occupation	Politician Lawyer
Signature

Lulzim Basha (born 12 June 1974) is an Albanian lawyer and politician. He was the leader of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Albania, from 2013 to 2022. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition during these years and again from 2023 to 2024.

He ran for the position of prime minister of Albania for the Democratic Party in the 2017 Albanian parliamentary election and the 2021 Albanian parliamentary election. In both elections, he lost to the current prime minister, Edi Rama.

Early Life and Education

Lulzim Basha was born in Tirana, Albania, on 12 June 1974. His mother was from Kosovo-Albanian heritage, and his father was Albanian. His grandparents on his mother's side were from Mitrovica and Gjilan.

After finishing Sami Frashëri High School, he went to Utrecht University in the Netherlands to study law. During his studies, he worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This organization investigates serious crimes like war crimes. He was part of a team looking into war crimes in Kosovo from 1998 to 1999.

In 2000, Basha joined the justice department of the United Nations administration in Kosovo, known as UNMIK. He started as a legal advisor and later became a deputy chief of cabinet. From 2002 to 2005, he was a special advisor in the same department.

Lulzim Basha is married to Aurela Basha, who is Dutch. They have two daughters named Victoria and Dafina.

Political Career

Basha officially joined the Democratic Party of Albania in January 2005. By May of the same year, he became a member of the party's leadership team. Since then, he has held several important jobs as a minister in governments led by the Democratic Party.

Serving in Government (2005–2011)

Basha with Condoleezza Rice in 2008.

During the 2005 Albanian parliamentary election, Basha was the spokesperson for his party. He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tirana. After the election, he became the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunications. He held this role for two years.

After the 2009 Albanian parliamentary election, Basha was appointed as the Minister of Internal Affairs. In this role, he worked to meet the requirements for Albanians to travel without a visa to countries in the Schengen Area (a group of European countries that have removed border controls between them).

He helped modernize Albania's border and immigration systems. He also introduced high-security biometric passports and worked to fight crime more effectively. These efforts were praised by international organizations like Europol. Because of these improvements, the European Union decided on 8 November 2010 to allow Albanian citizens to travel to Schengen countries without a visa starting from 15 December 2010.

Mayor of Tirana (2011–2015)

In 2011, Basha ran for mayor of Tirana, the capital city. He won against the leader of the Socialist opposition, Edi Rama, by a very small number of votes. It was a very close election.

Skanderbeg Square was reconstructed during Basha's Mayorship.

As mayor, Basha promised to make big changes in his first 100 days. He wanted to make the city government more open to citizens and free from political disagreements.

His main goals included creating a new plan for the city's growth. He also wanted to bring in more investments, create jobs, and solve traffic problems in the city center.

In May 2012, a first plan was shared. It was seen as very important for Tirana's future economy. This was one of Basha's early successes as mayor, even though the opposition did not agree with the plan.

The new plan suggested improvements to the road network and public transport. It proposed adding a tramway system to the existing bus system. The plan also included building a new boulevard in the northern part of the city and improving the Lanë river area.

The previous plan for Skanderbeg Square was changed. The new plan allowed cars to use a narrower road around the center of the square, which also included bicycle lanes. Green spaces were expanded, and new trees were planted.

In May 2013, the City Hall started a process to find a company to build the new northern boulevard, which would be 1.8 kilometers long. This project was expected to be finished during Basha's first term as mayor. However, after the 2013 Albanian parliamentary election, the new government led by Edi Rama reduced most of the funding for the project.

Basha did not run for a second term in the 2015 Albanian local elections. The Socialist Party candidate, Erion Veliaj, won that election.

Leading the Opposition (2013–2022, 2023–2024)

After the Democratic Party lost the 2013 Albanian parliamentary election, Sali Berisha stepped down as party leader. Lulzim Basha was then elected as the new chairman of the Democratic Party on 22 July 2013. This was the first time the party used a "one-member-one-vote" system for electing its leader.

On 30 September 2014, the Democratic Party held a national meeting to choose new leaders. During this meeting, Basha announced plans for big changes within the party.

Basha during the EPP Congress in Madrid.

Under his leadership, many protests were held against the government. The party claimed the government had issues with corruption. In 2015, the Democratic Party suggested a "Decriminalisation Law." This law aimed to prevent people with certain past convictions from holding public office. After several months of discussions, the law was passed in December 2015.

On 11 December 2016, during the celebration of the Democratic Party's 26th anniversary, Lulzim Basha shared his plan to make the party more modern and democratic. This was in preparation for the 2017 parliamentary elections.

He had promised that 35% of the candidates for parliament would be young members of the party. Basha also announced that party leaders would have a two-year term limit. He also wanted to make the internal election process more democratic.

On 18 February 2017, members of the Democratic Party and other opposition groups, led by Lulzim Basha, set up a large tent outside the Prime Minister's office in Tirana. Thousands of people protested, asking for fair elections and a government of experts. This protest grew into a bigger political disagreement. The Democratic Party and its allies refused to register for the 18 June general election. They said they would not participate until the government agreed to their conditions for fair and democratic elections.

After the Democratic Party lost the 2021 election, which was Basha's fourth election loss, there was a lot of discussion within the party. Many members wanted Basha to resign and for a new leader to be chosen. Despite some members' concerns, Basha was re-elected as leader, winning against his opponent Agron Shehaj.

Disagreements within the Party

After the United States made a public decision regarding Sali Berisha, Lulzim Basha decided to remove Berisha from the party. This caused a big split within the party, and many members chose to support Berisha and left the party. On 11 December 2021, Sali Berisha held a meeting that voted to remove Lulzim Basha as party leader. However, Basha and the party leadership did not recognize this vote as official.

On 21 March 2022, Lulzim Basha resigned as leader of the Democratic Party of Albania. As a result, Enkelejd Alibeaj became the interim leader of the party.

On 30 July 2023, Basha was re-elected as leader of the Democratic Party, which caused some debate. Before this election, Gazment Bardhi claimed that Basha was trying to gain too much power in the party.

Party Logo Decision (11 June 2024)

On June 11, 2024, a court decided against Lulzim Basha's claim to the logo and official signature of the Democratic Party. The court gave these rights to the "Reestablishment Group," which is led by Sali Berisha.

Political Views

Joining the EU

Basha meeting with leaders of the European People's Party during the EPP Summit, March 2015, Brussels.

Lulzim Basha strongly supports Albania becoming a member of the European Union (EU).

Economy

During the 2017 Albanian parliamentary election, he suggested bringing back a "flat tax" system with a 9% rate. A flat tax is a type of tax where everyone pays the same percentage of their income. This system was used by Berisha's government between 2005 and 2013.

International Relations

In June 2017, Basha met with President Donald Trump during a visit to the United States. This meeting was part of an event focused on workforce development at the White House.

Images for kids

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  Lulzim Basha's signature