Vangjel Dule Βαγγέλης Ντούλες | |
|---|---|
 Dule in 2011 | |
| Member of the Albanian parliament | |
| Assumed office 2001 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 February 1968 |
| Citizenship |
|
| Political party | Unity for Human Rights Party |
| Alma mater | University of Tirana |
| Occupation | Politician |
Vangjel Dule (Greek: Βαγγέλης Ντούλες, romanized: Vangelis Doules; born 18 February 1968) is an Albanian politician of Greek descent. He has been the chairman of the Unity for Human Rights Party (PBDNJ) since 2002 and has represented the Greek minority in the Parliament of Albania for over two decades.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Dule was born on 18 February 1968 in Gjirokastër, a city with a significant Greek minority population in southern Albania.[2] He attended the University of Tirana, graduating with a degree in English language and literature.[1]
Political career
[edit]Dule began his political career in the early 1990s as the Greek minority in Albania sought greater recognition and rights following the collapse of communism. In 2001, he was elected to represent Vlorë County in the Albanian Parliament.[3]
In 2002, Dule was elected chairman of the Unity for Human Rights Party, which advocates for the rights of ethnic and linguistic minorities in Albania, with a particular focus on the Greek community. He has remained in this position since.[4]
He served as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2002 to 2006 and again from 2007 to 2010, where he worked on issues of human rights and minority protection at a European level.[1]
Throughout his political career, Dule has been a strong critic of Albanian governments he has accused of neglecting minority rights. He has advocated for bilingual education, property rights for the Greek minority, and closer relations between Albania and Greece.[5]
In the 2017 and 2021 parliamentary elections, the Unity for Human Rights Party entered into electoral alliances with the Democratic Party of Albania, allowing Dule to secure his parliamentary seat.[6]
Dule has also been a prominent supporter of Fredi Beleri, the ethnic Greek mayor of Himarë arrested in 2023, accusing the Albanian government of politically motivated persecution against the Greek minority.[7]
Personal life
[edit]Dule holds dual Albanian and Greek citizenship. He is married and resides primarily in southern Albania, though he frequently travels to Athens for political and cultural events related to the Greek minority.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Mr Vangjel DULE". Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ "Greek minority in Albania: challenges and politics". Balkan Insight. 2018.
- ^ "Vangjel Dule elected to Parliament". Kathimerini. 2001.
- ^ "Greek minority party leadership elections in Albania". Albanian Daily News. 2002.
- ^ "Albania's Greeks demand greater rights". BBC News. 2016.
- ^ "Opposition and minorities join forces in Albania". Reuters. 2017.
- ^ "Greek minority leader accuses Rama government over Himarë case". Euractiv. 2023.
- ^ "Profile: Vangjel Dule". To Vima. 2021.