Rama, Edi 1964–, Albanian political leader and artist, prime minister of Albania (2013–). He studied and taught art in Tirana, then moved to France (1994) and embarked on a career as a painter. Returning to Albania in 1998, he was named minister of culture, youth, and sports (1998–2000) and then elected mayor of Tirana (2000–2011). In 2003 Rama, who had previously been an independent, joined the Socialist party, becoming its chairman in 2005. His coalition of leftist parties won the 2013 parliamentary elections by a landslide and he became prime minister; the coalition was returned to power in 2017. In office he has pursued reforms designed to further Albania's admission to the European Union and has also sought improved relations with Turkey. His writings include Kurban (1991) and Refleksione [Reflections] (with A. Klosi, 2019).
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