Former Albania Prime Minister Fatos Nano has died at the age of 73 following a brief hospitalization. He had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in Tirana in recent days, having struggled with lung problems for some time. Two years ago, he underwent surgery. At that time, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama awarded him a medal for his contribution “to building the constitutional and democratic state in Albania.” He founded the Socialist Party in 1992 and led it until 2005, when he retired from politics.
Fatos Nano: Who was the former Albanian prime minister
Fatos Nano was born in Tirana in 1952, the son of the former director of Albanian Radio and Television. He studied economics in Tirana and specialized in Political Economy.
After graduating in 1978, he worked until 1981 in the administration of metallurgical factories in Elbasan and later as an economist on a farm.
In 1984, he was appointed as a researcher of socioeconomic problems and market economy reforms in Eastern Bloc countries at the Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies in Tirana, where he worked until 1990.
After the fall of the communist regime, he began his political career.
In December 1990, he was appointed secretary-general of the council of ministers and in January 1991 was promoted to deputy prime minister. That same year, he was elected chairman of the Socialist Party.
When he became prime minister
In late February 1991, Nano was appointed prime minister of a transitional government with the goal of organizing the country’s first democratic post-communist elections.
Nano served as Albania’s prime minister in 1991 and again from 1997 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2005.
After the Democratic Party of Albania won the parliamentary elections of March 22, 1992, parliament established a committee in early 1993 to investigate Nano’s activities on suspicions of corruption and mismanagement of humanitarian aid provided by Italy during the economic crisis from 1990 to early 1992.
On April 3, 1994, Nano was sentenced to 12 years in prison but was acquitted on appeal in 1999. He had been released from prison in March 1997.
