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"He had a free style, journalists were often treated to friendly conversation and a glass of whiskey", The Guardian: Obituary for Fatos Nano

2025-11-28 19:07:48Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"He had a free style, journalists were often treated to friendly
Fatos Nano

The prestigious British newspaper " The Guardian " dedicated an obituary to Fatos Nano this Friday, describing him as a key figure in Albanian politics during a turbulent 15-year period, which began after the fall of the communist regime in 1990.

"The Guardian" evaluates his role as prime minister and leader of the Socialist Party, highlighting his influence on Albania's transition towards a pluralistic society and market economy, as well as his efforts to maintain political and social stability throughout his career.

THE GUARDIAN'S WRITING

Whether in government or in prison, Fatos Nano was one of two figures, along with his eternal rival, Sali Berisha, who dominated Albania's political scene during the tumultuous 15 years that began with the collapse of Communist Party rule in 1990.

It was characteristic of the political turmoil of this period that, although he was appointed prime minister four times, Nano served a total of only four years in that position.

Nano, who died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the age of 73, had based his political influence on his uncontested position as chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania (SP) until 2005.

As prime minister in 1991, Nano played a significant role in leading (when possible) Albania's chaotic but largely peaceful transition from a harsh Stalinist regime with a collapsed command economy to a pluralistic society and an emerging market economy.

The initial political beneficiary of that transformation was the opposition, led by Berisha’s Democratic Party of Albania (DP), which won a landslide victory in the first truly free elections in March 1992. Berisha was elected president by the new parliament. Nano, who in 1991 had begun to transform the Party of Labor of Albania (PPSH) into the social-democratically oriented SP, soon found himself in prison after being convicted on corruption charges.

Nano’s second opportunity to change Albanian politics came in March 1997, when the national collapse of fraudulent pyramid schemes led to an uprising against Berisha’s increasingly authoritarian rule. This time the unrest was far more violent than in 1991-92, as rebel groups and criminal gangs seized hundreds of thousands of weapons from army depots.

In the June 1997 snap elections, the Socialists defeated the Democrats heavily, leading to Berisha's resignation. Nano returned as prime minister and shifted the balance of power from Berisha's de facto presidential rule to a parliamentary system.

During the eight years of SP rule that began in 1997, the economy gradually stabilized, political life calmed down, and social conflicts eased. However, the electorate became increasingly disillusioned with the selfish rule, arrogance, and rampant corruption of socialist governments. This led to the unexpected victory of the Democrats in the July 2005 elections, allowing Berisha to return to power.

Nano's last major contribution was to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power to the DP and his resignation from the leadership of the SP. His successor, Edi Rama, the current prime minister, would transform the SP into a powerful election-winning machine.

Nano was born in Tirana. His father, Thanos, would later serve as the director of Albanian Radio Television. His mother, Maria (maiden name Shuteriqi), was a civil servant. Nano was educated at the elite “Sami Frashëri” gymnasium and graduated in political economy from the University of Tirana in 1974.

After working as an economist at the Elbasan steelworks, Nano joined the Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies, the ideological center of the Albanian People's Party. He became a protege of its director, Nexhmije Hoxha, the widow of communist dictator Enver Hoxha, who had ruled Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. Hoxha's increasingly isolationist policies had led to Albania's impoverishment in the 1980s. Economic hardship and the successes of pro-democracy movements in Central and Eastern Europe fueled student protests in Albania in the late 1990s.

Nano was appointed secretary general of the government in December 1990. His rise was then meteoric: deputy prime minister in January 1991 and, after the toppling of Hoxha's giant monument in Tirana on February 20, he was appointed prime minister by Hoxha's successor, President Ramiz Alia.

Nano was only 38 years old at the time of his appointment. His promotion was intended to project the image of a generational change and political transformation from the regime. The tactic worked and he was appointed prime minister for the second time after the ALP's victory in the first multi-party elections in March.

However, the ALP had a huge advantage in resources and propaganda over the newly formed opposition. The unfair elections sparked street protests and a general strike, leading to Nano's resignation in June. Within days, the ALP congress voted to rename the party the Socialist Party (SP) and elected Nano as its chairman.

After the DP's victory in the 1992 elections, Nano was arrested in 1993 and sentenced to 12 years in prison in 1994 for embezzlement of state funds while serving as prime minister. He denied all charges and became a martyr for the socialists. He continued to lead the SP from prison: his then-wife, Rexhina, served as an intermediary between him and the three deputies.

During the uprising against Berisha in 1997, Nano was released and later led the Socialists to electoral victory. Unlike Berisha, he was not vindictive and made no attempt to punish democratic leaders through the courts.

His third term as prime minister was cut short after a year by unrest following the assassination of Azem Hajdari, a DP politician, in 1998. Democrats blamed the government, but a subsequent trial showed that the killing had more to do with rivalry between arms trafficking gangs.

Nano temporarily left Tirana and, to reduce tensions, handed over the post of prime minister first to Pandeli Majko and then to Ilir Meta, while remaining in overall control of the government. When Meta began to assert himself, Nano returned as prime minister in July 2002 for his final term.

For Nano, power mattered less than the material benefits that came with it and the patronage it offered. He had a laid-back style: journalists were often treated to friendly conversation and a glass of whiskey.

Nano's easygoing style, the government's complacency, and the rift with Meta, who had created a rival socialist party, led to the SP's defeat in the 2005 elections.

Nano's resignation from the party leadership ended his political career. An attempt to be elected president by parliament in 2007 failed in the face of opposition not only from Berisha's Democrats but also from many lawmakers from Rama's Socialist Party, who feared that Nano might emerge as a potential rival to the new leader.

Afterwards, Nano and his second wife, Xhoana, whom he married in 2002, lived a quiet life, dividing their time between homes in Vienna and Tirana.

He leaves behind his wife Xhoana and two children, Sokol and Edlira, from his first marriage, which ended in divorce, as well as an adopted son from his new partner's first marriage, Klajdi.


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