With current President Ilir Meta’s term due to end in the summer, rumours are already swirling about who will replace him. Unlikely to run for a second term, it is likely this president will be a Socialist Party pick as they have a majority in parliament. The Socialists will make every attempt to present the choice as bipartisan, while they will also want to avoid a mistake like they did with Meta, who was previously in alliance with them before siding with the Democratic Party.
Exit takes a look at some of the possible and impossible contenders as the Albanian head of state.
Jozefina Topalli
A possible Democratic Party pick, Jozefina Topalli, was the former chairwoman of Albanian parliament between 2005 and 2013 and has been the vice president of the PD. She graduated from university in Shkoddra with a double major in mathematics and law before studying international relations in Italy. She then went on to get a master’s degree from the University of Tirana in public administration and European studies before completing her PhD. She speaks English, Italian, French, Russian, and Albanian.
Topalli would be a diplomatic pick. She has amassed a number of awards and honours over the year and has remained free from scandal-something rare for Albanian politicians. While she would be a PD vote, the PS could perhaps support her because she is a woman-something that fits into the ‘feminist’ image they are trying to cultivate- and has held a critical parliamentary role for many years.
Elisa Spiropali
A Socialist Party stalwart, Spiropali is the minister of state relations with parliament in Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government. She was born in Tirana and won a United World Colleges scholarship as one of the top five students in Albania. She received a diploma from a college in Canada before continuing her studies in the US, where she received an honorary degree in politics and economics. Spiropali’s political career started as director-general of customs before becoming a spokesperson for the party presidency. She was elected to parliament in 2013 before assuming her current role in 2019.
Spiropali is not popular outside PS circles, mainly due to her harsh and undiplomatic tongue. She has called peaceful protestors “thugs” on several occasions and outed the identity of an underage gang-rape victim by interviewing her parents on TV to quell criticism over authorities handling the case. In her favour, she fits the PS bill as she is young and a woman and has been with the party for many years. While she may not have the grace and decorum of some other candidates, if the PS want to go all out with a partisan candidate, she would be the number one choice.
Gramoz Ruci
Ruci started his political career with the communist party in 1988, where he was the first secretary of Tepelena, his birthplace. Having graduated in chemistry and worked as a teacher, he then became minister of the interior in 1990. This was when people were being shot on the border if they tried to leave the country. He was also the minister responsible for the Sigurimi, the infamous secret police and spy network that terrorised Albanians and suppressed political activity. From 1992-to 1996, he was the secretary-general of the socialist party, the direct descendant of the communist party. He served as a parliamentary speaker before resigning in 2021. Ruci speaks Albanian, Greek and Italian.
Whispers about Ruci being primed for the role of president have been around for several years. These intensified when he resigned from his position as parliamentary speaker last year. But putting a former communist into a role as head of state could be a step too far, even for this government. The outcry and bad press would possibly be too intense, mainly as there are still over 6000 people still missing from communism, no memorial, and no formal state apology. That said, stranger things have happened in Albania.
Lea Ypi
Lea Ypi is best known as an author and academic as she lectures at the London School of Economics on political theory. Describing herself as a “Kantian Marxist”, she wrote a widely acclaimed and widely criticised book about her experience of communism and transition to democracy, called ‘Free: Coming of Age at the End of History’. She studied philosophy in Italy and then acquired a master’s and PhD from the European University Institute.
There has been much speculation over whether Ypi harbours political ambitions, but she has said this is not true. Many of her critics have said that her book, and the rhetoric around it, particularly from PS officials, was laying the foundations for her nomination as president. The appointment of an intellectual, creative young woman into the role of president, particularly one that is well-known internationally, would be a stroke of marketing genius for the PS. Additionally, her sympathies for communism would play into the hands of the ruling socialists, providing much needed whitewashing for their hereditary crimes.
But Ypi says she does not want to be the head of state, and besides, the president needs to have resided in Albania for several years before assuming the position, something Ypi has not done. However, the PS are not always known for playing by the rules, so you never know what could happen.
Lindita Nikolla
Lindita Nikolla has served as the speaker of parliament since 2021. Prior to that, she was the minister of education, sport, and youth between 2013 and 2017 before handing the post over to Mirela Karabina as part of a pre-election deal. She resumed the post later in 2017 and held it until 2019. Nikolla graduated from the University of Tirana in mathematics before attending academies at the Institute for Democracy and Mediation in Tirana and the University of Pittsburgh in the US. She entered politics as a municipal councillor in 2003 before becoming mayor of municipal unit 1 in 2011, and deputy in 2013. Nikolla is also a somewhat uncontroversial figure and is known for her support of the LGBTIQ community.
Lindita fits the bill as far as the PS image is concerned, but she might lack the punch needed to hold the position of head of state. That said, they might want a more demure figure in place to do their bidding, in which case she would be a safe choice.
Mimi Kodheli
Mimi Kodheli was Albania’s first female minister of defence after Rama appointed her to the post. She studied economic science in Italy and has a masters in public administration from a US university. As well as her native Albania, Kodheli speaks English, Italian, and some French and Spanish. Her political career started in 2002 when she was appointed deputy mayor of Tirana before progressing to Prefect of Tirana County in 2005. In 2009, she was a member of parliament as the vice chair of the economy and finance committee and since 2007, she has been a leading member of the PS.
Unfortunately, Kodheli is suspected of having plagiarised her doctoral thesis “Inflation targeting regime: a proposal for Albania” as several paragraphs were copied directly and not attributed. She also caused controversy when she blamed teachers for the rape of a 15-year-old girl by a school guard because they “spend their time worrying about lipstick and miniskirts” instead of taking care of students.
Lulzim Basha
Former Chairman of the Democratic Party between 2013 and 2022, Lulzim Basha, also served as Mayor of Tirana between 2011 and 2015. Before that, he was elected to parliament on two occasions, representing Tirana and Elbasan. Basha was born in Tirana to a Kosovo-Albanian mother and an Albanian father. He studied law at Utrecht University and worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia before joining the Department of Justice at the UN administration of Kosovo in a legal role.
Recently out of a job, Basha could set his sights on the presidency. He has publicly expressed a desire to unite the PD once again, and perhaps this could happen from an external role. While he is certainly qualified for such a role, he is not too popular with the Socialist Party, or the majority of the PD and therefore may fail to get the necessary backing from either side of the political spectrum.
