Sulejman Delvina, the Albanian prime minister elected by the Congress of Lushnjë

On 5 October 1871, Sulejman Delvina was born in Delvinë — a political activist, patriot and prime minister of the government that emerged from the Congress of Lushnjë in 1920.

He began his studies at the “Zosimea” gymnasium in Ioannina and continued them in Istanbul, where he became involved in Albanian political and national activity. He engaged in defending the Albanian cause and the rights of Albanians, becoming one of the important voices of that movement. In 1919, the Albanian community of Istanbul sent him as its representative to the Paris Peace Conference, where he defended Albania’s interests.

One of the most important moments of his activity was 1920, when the Congress of Lushnjë elected him prime minister. The government he led worked to consolidate the foundations of the Albanian state, extend its authority across the whole country and protect its territorial integrity. During the Vlora War, Sulejman Delvina’s government initiated and supported with all its means the efforts to remove Italian troops from Vlora. After the fighting ended, on 2 August 1920 the Italo-Albanian protocol was signed, concerning the withdrawal of Italian troops and respect for Albanian sovereignty.

In 1924, Sulejman Delvina took part in the June Movement and, in Fan Noli’s government, served as minister of Foreign Affairs. After that government was overthrown, he left Albania and stayed for several years in Europe as a political emigrant.

In 1928 he returned to Albania ill, and on 1 August 1932 he passed away in Vlorë.