Lulzim Basha (listenⓘ; born 12 June 1974) is an Albanian lawyer and politician who served as chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania and as the Leader of the Opposition from 2013 to 2022 and again from 2023 until 2024.

[1] After attending the Sami Frashëri High School, he studied law at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as member of the investigation team of war crimes of Serbian forces in Kosovo (1998–1999).

These steps won international praise, notably by EUROPOL and other law enforcement bodies,[4] and led to the decision of the EU on 8 November 2010 to lift all travel visa requirements for Albanian citizens effective 15 December 2010.

He defeated the leader of the Socialist opposition, Edi Rama, by a very narrow margin (only 81 votes after the recount) in a hotly contested election.

During his term as mayor, Basha vowed to lead big reforms in his first hundred days in office, while promising to make the municipality more accessible to citizens and free of political conflicts.

[6] His main focus was the development of the new strategic urban plan, to increase investments and employment and solve the traffic problems in the city centre.

The new Urban Development Plan proposed a number of measures, primarily with a focus on the road network and, to a smaller degree, on sustainable modes of transport.

The existing green field south of Skanderbeg's statue was extended northward for a few hundred meters, while trees were planted in most places.

[citation needed] Basha didn't run for a second mandate in the 2015 local elections, which were won by the Socialist Party candidate Erion Veliaj.

[21][22][23] On June 11th, 2024 the Court of Appeals voted against Lulzim Basha's claim on the logo and signature of the Democratic Party, giving it to the Reestablishment Group led by Sali Berisha.

[27] In June 2017, Basha met with President Donald Trump during a visit to the US as part of participation in White House Workforce Development week.

In connection to this, in October 2007, the Prosecutor's Office accused him of abuse of power and breaking tender rules and claimed these irregularities cost Albanians more than €230 million.