Arbjan Mazniku

Arbjan Mazniku (born November 6, 1978) is an Albanian politician and government official. He served as Deputy Mayor of Tirana from 2015 to 2023 and as Minister of State for Local Government in the third Rama government from September 2023 until September 2025. As of May 2025, he was the Socialist Party’s political leader and candidate for the Elbasan region, and was elected as Member of Parliament for the same constituency.

Early life and education Arbjan Mazniku holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Tirana and a Master’s degree in Political Communication from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.

From 2003 to 2007, Mazniku was active in the MJAFT! movement, a civic initiative focused on youth engagement and promoting good governance in Albania. Prior to that, he served as director of the National Debate Association, where he coordinated debate programs for secondary schools and universities.

As of May 2025, Mazniku was the political leader of the Socialist Party for the Elbasan region.

Controversy over municipal spending Mazniku has faced allegations of conflict of interest related to a restaurant co-owned by his wife. The restaurant received municipal payments for official events while Mazniku was Deputy Mayor of Tirana. Ownership records listed his wife, Marinela Lika, and Besa Fuga, wife of government PR chief Endri Fuga, as equal shareholders. Further scrutiny emerged over public procurement contracts awarded to entities linked to the resaurant, including a company formerly co-founded by the restaurant's chef and administrator. One such company, 3i-Solutions, secured contracts from municipally owned entities while Mazniku served as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Tirana DC.

Mazniku denied any involvement in operational decisions or procurement processes related to either the restaurant or Tirana DC, stating he was unaware of the events held there or the procedures followed.