Bashkim Fino
Honorific suffixMP
Constituency mpFier
ParliamentAlbanian
Term start9 September 2017
Term end28 March 2021
Office 129th Prime Minister of Albania
Term start 111 March 1997
Term end 124 July 1997
President 1Sali Berisha
Predecessor 1Aleksandër Meksi
Successor 1Fatos Nano
Office 2Deputy Prime Minister of Albania
Term start 225 July 1997
Term end 223 April 1998
Prime minister 2Fatos Nano
Predecessor 2Tritan Shehu
Successor 2Makbule Çeço
Office 3Minister of Local Government
Term start 328 November 1999
Term end 36 September 2001
Prime minister 3Ilir Meta
Predecessor 3Arben Demeti
Successor 3Arben Imami
Office 4Mayor of Gjirokastër
Term start 41992
Term end 41996
Office 5Minister of Public Works and Tourism
Term start 56 September 2001
Term end 529 January 2002
Prime minister 5Ilir Meta
Term start 629 December 2003
Term end 61 September 2005
Prime minister 6Fatos Nano
Birth date12 October 1962
Birth placeGjirokastër, Albania
Death date29 March 2021 (aged 58)
Death placeTirana, Albania
PartySocialist
Alma materUniversity of Tirana

Bashkim Fino (12 October 1962 – 29 March 2021) was an Albanian socialist politician who served as the 29th Prime Minister of Albania from March to July 1997.

Biography

Fino studied economics in Tirana and the United States. After this, he worked as an economist in Gjirokastër,[1] and in 1992 became its mayor. He was married and had two children.

On 11 March 1997, Democratic Party President Sali Berisha appointed Fino, a member of the opposition Socialist Party of Albania, Prime Minister in order to lead a government of national unity.[2] This came after rebellion broke out over the collapse of several pyramid schemes leading to the government losing control of much of the country.[3] Fino was Prime Minister through the 1997 elections where his Socialist Party won a large majority before he stepped down and was succeeded by his party leader Fatos Nano.[4]

As of 2014, Fino was a Member of Parliament representing a constituency in the Korçë District.[5] Fino was a lecturer at the Political Academy of the Socialist Party of Albania.

Fino was a devoted fan of Italian football club Inter Milan. In January 2018 he declared his intention to run for president of the Albanian Football Federation, challenging Armand Duka, the incumbent president of the last 16 years. The elections held on 7 February 2018, were lost by Fino, although he claimed that the voting process was irregular and that he would appeal to UEFA and FIFA.

Fino, who had leukemia, died on 29 March 2021, after contracting COVID-19. He was 58.[2][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Britons urged to flee unrest in Albania". The Independent. 12 March 1997. p. 12.
  2. ^ Semini, Llazar (29 March 2021). "Economist who pulled Albania out of 1997 anarchy dead at 58". ABC News. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Prime minister gets warm welcome from armed rebels". The Irish Times. 2 April 1997. p. 9.
  4. ^ "Mejdani moves on new government". The Irish Times. 25 July 1997. p. 9.
  5. ^ "FINO, Bashkim". Kuvendi i Shqiperisë. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  6. ^ "I infektuar me COVID, ndahet nga jeta në moshën 59-vjeçare deputeti Bashkim Fino" (in Albanian). top-channel.tv. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.