TIRANA, May 30, 2022 – Bujar Nishani, who served as Albania’s president from 2012 to 2017, has passed away at 56 following complications from COVID-19, to which he was particularly susceptible due to an underlying health condition, his family and associates said.
The youngest person ever to take the office, aged 45 at the time of his swearing in, President Nishani will be remembered as a true statesman who served with honesty and devotion as well as one of the few people in Albanian politics to have a spotless reputation, says Lutfi Dervishi, a political analyst.
“Mr. Nishani was one of those statesmen who considered the law sacred,” Dervishi notes.
Before his election as head of state, Nishani held a number of governmental positions, serving as Minister of Justice from 2009 to 2011, and as the Minister of Internal Affairs from 2011 to 2012.
Born in Durrës in 1966, he graduated from the Skanderbeg Military University in 1988 and went on to study in 1996 in the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. In 2004, he received a law degree from the University of Tirana.
Nishani joined the Democratic Party shortly after its founding in 1991 at the fall of communism. He rose through the ranks of the party from Tirana City Council to top ministerial spots. He was elected by the DP as the country’s fifth president since the fall of communism.
“President Nishani will always be remembered as a personality with rare values of a leader with integrity and vision. His contribution to Albania and democracy will always be remembered with respect,” incumbent President Ilir Meta said in a statement.
Albania’s presidency is largely a ceremonial role, but it does have some key appointing and veto powers, which Nishani used in key moments to serve the public interests and curtail government overreach, analysts point out.
Nishani kept a low profile after leaving the presidency, but he recently took a more active role to support the Democratic Party’s Re-Establishment Committee led by Sali Berisha, who had been prime minister when Nishani served in the cabinet and was elected president.
“Former President Bujar Nishani was an icon of the highest moral values of man, honesty, patriotism and dedication. He was a distinguished citizen, who represented the nation and Albania with special dignity and wisdom in the international arena, giving honor and value to the institution of the president, the state and the Albanian citizens,” Berisha said in a statement following Nishani’s passing.
Nishani is also remembered fondly in Kosovo, where he took an active role in promoting the young country.
“President Bujar Nishani was a model of a true patriot, who represented Albania with high dignity and supported Kosovo unceasingly, until the last breath. He dedicated a whole life to Albania and Albanians, being an example of a rational politician with integrity,” Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a statement.
Nishani is survived by his wife, Odeta, and two children.
He is expected to receive a state funeral on Wednesday.
