Fatos Thanas Nano (born September 16, 1952) is the Prime Minister of Albania, and from the Socialist Party of Albania. Nano has a degree in political economy as well as a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Tirana.
Nano was born in Tirana, and he became a communist and later socialist leader. He was nominated for the post of Prime Minister by the then President Ramiz Alia in 1991, but was forced to resign after popular protests and strikes.
He was imprisoned in 1993 for corruption, but was acquitted of those charges in 1997 after his party had come to power. In 1997, following the collapse of several pyramid schemes, and the ensuing civil unrest that bordered on civil war, Nano's nemesis, then-President Sali Berisha was forced to resign. That same year, following general elections, Nano was appointed Prime Minister by President Rexhep Meidani, only to resign again in 1998 after the protests that followed the assassination an opposition leader, Azem Hajdari.
Nano became Prime Minister for the third time on July 25, 2002, appointed by President Alfred Moisiu. Two large protests in February 2004 with crowds of up to 20,000 demanded that Nano step down again for failing to properly manage the growth of the Albanian economy. He is often Jokingly referred to as the "Yo-Yo Prime Minister of Albania" because of his many times in office.
He and his government have always have beencriticized by Albanians and the European Union for leading a corrupt government. Many Albanians think that he is corrupt and indifferent about the current situation in Albania. He has been under pressure from the opposition for 8 years, but he hasn't yet resigned even though he is considered by most of people as an enemy and a greekophyl.
See also
Last updated: 10-19-2005 11:34:22
