1. Bujar Nishani served as the president of Albania from 24 July 2012 to 24 July 2017.
18 Facts About Bujar Nishani
1. 2.
Bujar Nishani was born in Durres, Albania on 30 September 1964 to a couple of teachers with roots from Gjirokaster.
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Bujar Nishani was a distant relative of Omer Nishani, Chairman of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania's Presidium, but during communism Bujar changed his surname to Mehmeti.
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Bujar Nishani graduated at the Skanderbeg Military University in 1988, and followed up in 1996 with master's studies on "defense resources management" in the United States at the Naval Postgraduate School.
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Bujar Nishani completed his master's degree in European studies in 2005.
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In 2001, Bujar Nishani was elected as general secretary of the DP's branch in Tirana and in the 2003 local election obtained a seat in the Tirana Municipal Council.
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Bujar Nishani won a seat for Tirana's 34th constituency in the 2005 parliamentary election beating then Minister of Interior Igli Toska.
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Bujar Nishani became Minister of Interior on 20 March 2007, a post he held until 17 September 2009.
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Bujar Nishani was sworn in on 24 July 2012, becoming the country's youngest president ever; in his inaugural speech, he announced that his priority was to reform the judicial system, as well as Albania's integration into the European Union.
10.
On 16 November 2012, Bujar Nishani received the body of the King Zog I, who had died in exile more than 50 years earlier.
11.
Bujar Nishani demanded to the President of Greece Karolos Papoulias, in November 2013, that the Greek parliament abolish the war against Albania, declared in 1940, in an attempt to resolve above all the Cham issue.
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Bujar Nishani added that Albania was ready to resolve the maritime border delimitation dispute with Greece in accordance with international law.
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Bujar Nishani's term ended on 24 July 2017 and was succeeded by Ilir Meta, who took office after winning the 2017 Albanian presidential election.
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Bujar Nishani was married to Odeta Bujar Nishani with whom he had two children, a son Ersi and a daughter Fiona.
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Bujar Nishani was a Muslim and on 21 April 2017, he became the first Albanian president to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.
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Bujar Nishani was admitted to hospital for complications of pneumonia caused by post-COVID-19 fibrosis left in his lungs.
17.
Bujar Nishani died in Berlin, Germany at 7 am of 28 May 2022, at the age of 57.
18.
The state funeral took place on that day, from 10:00 to 12:00 and Bujar Nishani was buried in the Sharra public cemetery in Tirana.