Pandeli Evangjeli

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Pandeli Evangjeli (6 January 1859 – 14 September 1949) was an Albanian politician who served as prime minister twice. He first held the post briefly in 1921 (16 October to 5 December) and then from 6 March 1930 to 16 October 1935. He was born in Korçë when it was part of the Ottoman Empire and died there in 1949. An Orthodox Christian, he spent his youth in Bucharest and became active in Albanian nationalist and educational efforts. In 1897 he headed the Dituria society and helped create a Committee for the Liberation of Albania. He was a member of the Macedo-Romanian Cultural Society in 1912 and supported the Aromanians of Korçë with a donation for a chapel and school.

Evangjeli served as prefect of Korçë in 1914, joined Sulejman Delvina's government, and was part of Albania's delegation to the Paris Peace Conference in 1920. He was elected to parliament and ran the foreign ministry from 1922 to 1924. After Fan Noli's government, he went into exile in Romania, returning in 1925 to become head of the Senate. Representing Korçë, he chaired the session that proclaimed Albania a Constitutional Monarchy with King Zog. A strong supporter of Zog, Evangjeli led three cabinets as prime minister from 1930 to 1935. He was replaced after being blamed for failing to keep peace during the Fier Revolt in 1935. He later served as Parliamentary President until Italy invaded Albania in 1939. Although some sources note he was pro-Italian and listed in the 1943 Assembly, he did not play an active wartime role, and the communist regime did not persecute him. Evangjeli died in Korçë in 1949.