Erion Veliaj

Erion Veliaj (born December 17, 1979) is an Albanian politician who has served as the 42nd mayor of Tirana since 2015. Beginning as an activist and the leader of MJAFT!, Veliaj joined the ranks of the Socialist Party of Albania in 2011, where he was appointed Secretary for Youth and Immigration.

Previously, he served as a member of parliament for Gjirokastër and as Minister of Social Welfare and Youth under Prime Minister Edi Rama. In April 2015, Veliaj was appointed as the mayoral candidate of the Socialist Party in Tirana. He won the 2015 Albanian local elections and took office on July 31, 2015. He was re-elected in 2019 and 2023.

In May 2024, the Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) initiated an investigation into the assets of Veliaj and his family after corruption allegations regarding the Tirana incinerator project. On February 10, 2025, he was arrested by SPAK on 9 charges of corruption and money laundering, and is currently being held in the Durrës Detention Center. Veliaj’s deputy Anuela Ristani has been appointed as acting mayor.

Achievements as Mayor of Tirana

Urban Development and Major Projects

Since assuming office in 2015, Erion Veliaj has led significant transformations in Tirana, focusing on urban development, environmental sustainability, and education:

* Skanderbeg Square Renovation: Veliaj oversaw the transformation of Tirana's central square into a pedestrian-friendly space, earning the ''European Prize for Urban Public Space'' in 2018.

* Tirana 2030 Master Plan: Implemented the "Tirana 2030" vision by architect Stefano Boeri, promoting sustainable and polycentric urban development.
* Orbital Forest Initiative: Launched a project to plant over 2 million trees around Tirana by 2030, creating a green belt to enhance air quality and biodiversity.
* 20 New Schools Project: Oversaw the construction of 20 new schools designed to function as community centers beyond school hours.
* Sustainable Mobility Expansion: Expanded the network of bike lanes and pedestrian areas, promoting eco-friendly transportation options.
* Public Transport Terminal Development: Initiated the construction of a modern public transport terminal to improve urban mobility.

Environmental and Social Initiatives

* Green City Action Plan (GCAP): Collaborated with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to implement GCAP, addressing environmental challenges and promoting sustainable urban development.
* Social Inclusion Policies: Introduced housing and education programs supporting Roma and marginalized communities.

International Titles and Leadership Roles

* European Youth Capital 2022: Under Veliaj's leadership, Tirana was designated as the European Youth Capital for 2022 by the European Youth Forum. The city hosted over 1,000 events aimed at empowering youth participation and fostering European identity.
* European City of Sport 2023: In recognition of its commitment to promoting sports and healthy lifestyles, Tirana was named the European City of Sport for 2023 by ACES Europe.
* B40 Presidency in 2024: Tirana assumed the presidency of the B40 Balkan Cities Network in 2024, hosting the third B40 Summit and leading initiatives focused on urban resilience and regional cooperation.

Awards and Honors

* European Prize for Urban Public Space (2018): Awarded for the revitalization of Skanderbeg Square.

* Innovation in Politics Award (2020): Recognized for pioneering urban development projects in Tirana.

* European Mobility Week Award (2019): Honored for outstanding achievements in promoting sustainable urban mobility.

* Green Prize (2021): Acknowledged for initiatives in environmental sustainability and the development of green infrastructure.

* Capital of Innovation Award (2024): Received for innovation in local governance and child-friendly city development.

* 21Heroes2021 by TUMI (2021): Named among 21 global leaders in sustainable mobility by the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative.

* Doctor Honoris Causa, Grand Valley State University (2017): Conferred for contributions to public service and progressive city leadership.

* Lincoln Award for Public Service Excellence (2017): Presented for outstanding contributions to public service.

Personal life and education

Erion Veliaj was born on December 17, 1979, in Tirana, Albania. His father Luan Veliaj served as an officer in the Albanian Army, while his mother was an HR Manager in the military. He attended the Sami Frashëri High School in Tirana and then later Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan where he graduated with a B.A. in political science. He received his master's degree in European Integration from the University of Sussex. Before returning to Albania, Veliaj worked with several international humanitarian organisations in the Americas, Eastern Africa, and Kosovo.

Veliaj is from a Muslim family. He left Islam and later became an atheist. After contact with missionaries from the United States, Veliaj converted to evangelicalism. His Mjaft organisation showed the controversial Muhammad cartoons on its pages. On April 30, 2017, as Mayor of Tirana, Veliaj received “Doctor Honoris Causa” extended by the Grand Valley State University in the US for the contribution made in public services.

He is married and has a son.

Political career

MJAFT!

Veliaj was one of the earliest activists of MJAFT!, a civic organization created in 2003 aimed at protesting social and political injustices in Albania. He soon became one of the central figures of MJAFT! due to his many TV appearances. Veliaj was involved with MJAFT! until November 2007. Mjaft organization showed the controversial Muhammad cartoons on its pages when Veliaj was a leader of it.
In 2004, ‘MJAFT!’ was granted the United Nations Award for Civil Society by Kofi Annan for its exemplary and highly efficient methods of protest.

G99

In 2008, Veliaj and a few other activists from MJAFT! created G99 (Group 99), a center-left political party. While initially unaligned, G99 ended up joining other political parties of the center-left coalition in the 2009 Parliamentary Election. Veliaj ran as G99's leading candidate for the district of Tirana. Despite the media attention, Veliaj and G99 only earned 0.86% of the vote, failing to win a seat in the Parliament. In 2011, he left G99 and joined the Socialist Party of Albania.

Socialist Party of Albania

In the Socialist Party, Veliaj was nominated to serve as Secretary for Youth and Emigration. In 2013, he was nominated as a candidate for MP representing the district of Gjirokastër. The center-left coalition of political parties won the 2013 Parliamentary Election and Veliaj was appointed to serve as Minister of Social Welfare and Youth in Edi Rama's new cabinet. He resigned in 2015 due to him being nominated as SPA's candidate for Mayor of Tirana. Veliaj was elected Mayor of Tirana with 53.58% of the vote, defeating Democratic Party's candidate, Halim Kosova and the independent candidate, Gjergj Bojaxhi.

Mayor of Tirana (2015–Present)

Tirana Mayoral Election 2015

In April 2015, Veliaj was appointed as mayoral candidate of the Socialist Party in the city of Tirana. The candidate representing the oppositional Democratic Party was Halim Kosova, a well-known gynecologist, serving as a Member of Parliament at the time. Other candidates were Gjergj Bojaxhi, a former Democratic politician, and Sazan Guri, an environmental activist. Veliaj won the elections by a landslide and took office on July 31, 2015.

Mayoral tenure

The issue of urban air pollution is a growing concern in Tirana, and the role of the car can be controversial. In September 2015, Tirana organized its first vehicle-free day. In January 2017 the new Skanderbeg Square was inaugurated by Veliaj and the Prime Minister. In July 2017 the Municipality of Tiranë voted to raise the water tariff significantly, Veliaj promoted this action by arguing that it would eventually make drinking water available 24 hours a day, and help improve its access and quality. During his term as Mayor, he has earned the nickname "Lali Eri", which can be translated as "Big Brother Eri"

Notable projects of the Municipality of Tirana

* Reja (the cloud), a project from Sou Fujimoto.
* Plastic bags reduction project
* Skanderbeg Square - featured also as one of the installations at the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial.
* Pazari i Ri, in an urban renewal project, the "New Bazaar" neighbourhood was rebuilt.

Controversies

Death of Ardit Gjoklaj

Ardit Gjoklaj, a 17-year-old boy died on 7 August 2016 working in very poor conditions in the landfill of Sharrë. His death became controversial because the company that managed the landfill of Sharrë "3R", was promoted publicly by Veliaj himself as having good working conditions.

Comments about injured police officer

On 27 November 2018, in a televised speech to the City Council, Veliaj reacted to the developing story about a police officer who lost her fingers in clashes with protesters in Tirana, by saying "We are all men here. Would any of us have eyes to marry someone with no fingers?"

Demolition of the National Theatre

Amidst the protests against the construction of a new National Theatre building replacing the old National Theatre in Tirana, on 8 May 2020 the Albanian government transferred ownership of the land of the National Theatre to the Tirana Municipality through a special law. This law emphasized that the land must be used only for the construction of a new theatre building.

After more than two years of consecutive protests for the protection of National theatre and after a dubious legal procedure, the building was demolished on Sunday 17 May 2020 by police bulldozers with heavy police presence at 4:30 in the morning. This action took place during the emergency state in Albania due to COVID-19 pandemic.

This decision drew the widespread condemnation from several local activists, opposition political parties and artists against the Municipality of Tirana and the Albanian government. Europa Nostra called the demolition of the theatre as illegal and against the rule of law. The Delegation of EU in Albania voiced their concern regarding the lack of dialogue between the authorities and activists before the demolition took place.

Incinerators

Several key people in the Municipality, all of them under the direct supervision of Veliaj, were implicated in a scandal surrounding the misappropriation of funds dedicated towards the garbage incineration plants of the city. It was discovered that the city was severely overpaying for the plants, and officials in the central government and in local municipalities had conspired to grant the tenders for the operation of the incinerators to public-private partnerships which engaged in fraud. Only one of the several plants which were part of the contract was operational until they were all seized by SPAK, the national anti-corruption agency.

Several Albanian news organizations believe Veliaj was himself part of the affair. He has been called for questioning by SPAK, but has not been charged.

5D scandal

Five high-ranking directors in the Municipality were found to have conspired in creating a firm named 5D, to which several public tenders were granted. Other companies were not properly considered during the tender processes, as is required by law.

The scandal has caused outrage among the opposition, who have organized protests in front of the Mayor's offices, calling for his arrest. Veliaj has denied any involvement.

Wealth investigation and arrest

Based on suspicion of the scandals above, in April 2024, Veliaj spent eight hours at the Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) office, providing clarifications regarding the Tirana incinerator project, linked to serious corruption allegations. After a second line of questioning in May 2024, SPAK initiated an investigation into the assets of Erion Veliaj and his family and requested information from all second-level banks in Albania regarding financial transactions, banking actions, and loans associated with Veliaj, his wife Ajola Xoxa, his mother Shqiponjë Veliaj and his brother Arbën Veliaj.

On 10 February 2025, SPAK ordered Erion Veliaj's arrest on 9 charges of corruption and money laundring. Veliajs wife is also under investigation and facing the same charges. SPAK found that between 2021 and 2025 she had made online purchases of luxury items amounting to a total of 86,721,175 Lekë, which are undeclared and ordered the seizing of his wife's bank accounts, which amount to a total of 869,149.78 Euro.

Veliaj is currently held in the Durrës Detention Center awaiting trial.

References

External links

Portraits – Return to Europe: Erion Veliaj, AlbaniaThe Albanian Renaissance Documentary
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Veliaj, Erion
1979 births
Living people
21st-century evangelicals
21st-century mayors of places in Albania
Albanian evangelicals
Albanian former Sunni Muslims
Alumni of the University of Sussex
Converts to evangelical Christianity
Converts to Protestantism from atheism or agnosticism
Government ministers of Albania
Grand Valley State University alumni
Mayors of Tirana
Members of the Parliament of Albania
Socialist Party of Albania politicians
Youth ministers of Albania