- Edi Rama
Edi Rama is the chairman of the
Socialist Party of Albania and Mayor ofTirana .He won the World Mayor Award 2004 also he was nominated in "100 personazhet e shekullit" [ [http://www.worldmayor.com/worldmayor_2004/results_2004.html Article at citymayors.com] Retrieved20 February 2007 ] and was included in Time Magazine's European Heroes 2005 list. [ [http://www.time.com/time/europe/hero2005/rama.html Time Magazine European Heroes 2005] ]Political career
Rama was active during the anti-Communist revolution, while he was a professor at the
Academy of Arts of Tirana , then a political centre. In 1992, he co-authored an anti-Communist book called "Refleksione"(Reflections) with his long time friend Ardian Klosi, condemningEnver Hoxha 's regime and offering insight into emigration, economics, and the future of Albania. He criticizedSali Berisha , at that timePresident of Albania .His father, Kristaq Rama, and the uncle of his mother Spiro Koleka were high ranking communist officials during the communist era. Thus, Kristaq Rama was a deputy of the People's Assembly of Albania and a member of Central Committee of the Labor Party. Spiro Koleka was a member of the Political Bureau of the Labor Party, one of the mos important posts in the Labor Party.
In 2004, Rama remained Mayor of
Tirana , after receiving just under 59% of the vote.On
June 27 2005 , Rama was featured in an article by Jane Kramer forThe New Yorker entitled "Painting the Town" (referring toTirana ). He became chair of theSocialist Party of Albania onOctober 9 ,2005 , after it's previous leader,Fatos Nano , was defeated. He ran for Mayor of Tirana for a third time in theFebruary 18 ,2007 elections and won against Democratic Party candidateSokol Olldashi .Rama also is the President of the Albanian Association of Mayors.Mr. Rama has been a professor of Arts in the Albanian Academy of Arts. Hehas served as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports from 1998-2000.
Mr. Rama is one of the founders and key player of the democratic movement that brought about the collapsing of the communist state in 1990-1992. He is a founding member of the Movement for Democracy, a political group that played a determining role in the struggle for democracy during 1996-1997.
Mr.Rama’s articles and analysis have appeared in several newspapers and magazines such as the Albanian largest magazine, Klan Magazine, and largestAlbanian newspapers such as Shekulli and Koha Jone, as well as in TheNew York Times, The Guardian, Panorama, Frankfurter Allhemeine Zeitung, The Independent, World Link Magazine, an edition of the World Economic Forum, which has selected Mayor Edi Rama in the Dream Cabinet for 2002 among other world political personalities and together with Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani.
Mr. Rama is also author of several personal painting exhibitions in Europe, North and South America, and other. Personal exhibitions include Janos Gallery, New York (1993), Place de Mediatheque, France (1995), Palais Jalta, Frankfurt, (1997), Acud, Berlin, (1993), Sao Paolo, Brazil (1994) and National Gallery, Albania (1992) and Gallery XXI, Albania (1999).
He is a former Board Member of the Open Society Foundation, Albania, a non-profit foundation that promotes democracy and open market reforms established and financed by financier and philanthropist George Soros. Currently he is a member of the Regional Advisory Board of the United Nations Development Program.
On October 2002, on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Mayor Edi Rama was awarded for his work done on environmental issues that have contributed to fight against poverty. The award has been delivered at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, by the General Secretary Mr. Kofi Annan.
On February 2003, Mayor Rama has been chosen to serve as the Year 2002/2003 Robert C. Wood Visiting Professorship of Public and Urban Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Harvard University.
On October 2003, Mr. Edi Rama joined the Socialist Party.
On December 2004, mayor Rama was awarded as the World Mayor 2004, in an international competition that took place for one year, based on direct voting by internet, organized by the non commercial organization CITYMAYORS, located in London, beating second-place Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mayor of Mexico City, and third-place Walter Veltroni, Mayor of Rome.
Edi Rama has been accused of corruption many times. He is called 'Mister 10%'. Blendi Gonxhe, deputy Mayor of Tirana during 2000-2003 and Edi Rama's right hand man has become a powerful businessman.
On October 2005, Mayor Rama has been elected by the extraordinary Congress of the Socialist Party, the President of the Party.
On October 2005 Mayor Rama has been chosen as one of the European Heroes 2005 by Time Magazine, a tribute to 37 people who are changing the world for the better.
Actually he is running the office of Mayor of Tirana, as voted on February 2007 for the third mandate on the Albanian Local Election.
Local elections 2007
On
February 15 2007 , during his heated campaign against Sokol Olldashi for the position of Tirana's mayor.Nude photographs of Rama and his ex-girlfriend (from 1995, before he was involved with Albanian politics) were leaked to the media.cite news | title = Tirana mayor cries foul over nude pictures | publisher = Reuters | date =
2007-02-12 | url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070212-1031-albania-mayor-naked.html | accessdate = 2007-02-26 ] This was generally thought of as an unethical move from his opponent's side and his opponent,Fatos Nano , was forced to distance himself from the release of the photos and deny any involvement. The incident was dubbed by the media as Penisgate , in reference to Nixon'sWatergate scandal .Fact|date=February 2007Edi Rama went on to win the 2007 elections and secure another four-year term as the Mayor of Tirana.
Impact on Tirana
The most noted impact of Rama has been the many destructions to the city since he took over. Although he has been accused of corruption and mismanagement of funds by the opposition, he is mostly liked by the citizens for his style and for cleaning up the city. Rama's Return to Identity project rid the city of many illegally constructed buildings and kiosks on municipal lands such as local parks and the banks of the Lana. His Clean and Green project in
2000 resulted in the production of 96,700 square metres of green land and parks in the city and the planting of nearly 1,800 trees. He also ordered the painting of many old buildings in what has come to be known as Edi Rama colours (very bright yellow, green, violet). He is also trying to change people's consciousness in the direction of shared responsibility for their city, and to enhance people's trust in the government. Rama's critics claim that he is focusing too much attention on cosmetic changes without fixing any of the major problems such as shortages of drinking water and electricity.Furthermore, in an attempt to widen roads, he has single handedly authorized the bulldozing of private properties so that they can be paved over, thus widening streets. The owners of such properties have neither been given compensation for this, nor has permission been requested from them.Fact|date=February 2007
Rama, a former artist, had this to say about his work as mayor: "It's the most exciting job in the world, because I get to invent and to fight for good causes everyday. Being the mayor of Tirana is the highest form of conceptual art. It's art in a pure state." [ [http://www.internationalspecialreports.com/europe/albania/youvegottotear.html You’ve got to tear this old building down: "Tirana’s mayor: an artistic politician"] . International Special Reports]
Rama also is the head of the Albanian Association of Mayors. He is no longer active as an artist.
On
October 12 2003 Rama was the winner for the mayoral seat of Tirana, gathering 61% the votes from the reporting of 283 from 346 voting places.Edi Rama was elected World Mayor 2004 in an Internet poll by City Mayors, beating second-place
Andrés Manuel López Obrador ,Mayor of Mexico City , and third-placeWalter Veltroni , Mayor of Rome. [ [http://www.citymayors.com/mayor2004/edirama_2004.html City Mayors] ]References
An investigation commission in the Parliament of Republic of Albania in 1994 investigated the City of Tirana administration and found proof of many mismanegement of founds,corruption for which the mayor of Tirana Edi Rama was even prosecuted.He is olso accused of favoritism of businesses specially on construction companies and is also called mister 10% by the people of Tirana for his abusement with licesing companies to build in the capital center.
External links
* [http://www.edirama.com.al/EngVersion/index-2Eng.htm Edi Rama's Electoral Campaign for Tirana City Hall]
* [http://www.tirana.gov.al City of Tirana] (official site, in Albanian)
* [http://www.tirana.gov.al/BashkiaTiranes/kryetari/kryetari.htm Curriculum Vitae] (in Albanian)
* [http://www2.ronchiato.it/AlbaniaToday/Eng/rama.htm Edi Rama as artist]
* [http://www.edirama.com.al/kenga/TIRONA.mp3 Edi Rama on the song Tirona]
* [http://www.worldmayor.com/worldmayor_2004/results_2004.html Edi Rama wins the 2004 World Mayor Award]
* [http://citymayors.com/mayors/tirana_mayor.html CityMayors article]
*News articles
** [http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,1068527,00.html Regeneration man]
** [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2069799.stm The mayor transforming Tirana]
** [http://www.internationalspecialreports.com/europe/albania/youvegottotear.html You’ve got to tear this old building down]
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