Ministers holding key government posts have been changed with little explanation, raising concerns about the decision-making process and whether they are the best men for the jobs assigned.
Tirana Times
TIRANA, June 28 – The cabinet of Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha underwent restructuring last week, with four ministers arriving to new posts as both major coalition partners proposed changes to key cabinet posts.
Mr. Berisha appointed Democrat Party manager Flamur Noka to head the Interior Ministry, a position left vacant after the election of Bujar Nishani as the country’s next president. Mr. Noka, 41, is a medical doctor by profession, but he has mostly worked in Mr. Berisha’s Democratic Party structures for years. He served as the party’s organizational secretary before his ministerial appointment.
The more surprising move came when three other ministers were changed by the junior coalition partner, the Socialist Movement for Integration.
Albania’s new foreign minister is Edmond Panariti, who previously served as Tirana deputy mayor. He is a veterinary doctor by training and has had an academic career in the past, but has no previous diplomatic experience.
Mr. Panariti takes the post of Edmond Haxhinasto, a diplomat and languages specialist, who will now head the Ministry of Economy.
The Ministry of Health also saw a change. SMI member of parliament Vangjel Tavo will replace Petrit Vasili, who SMI leader Ilir Meta says will returns to cover major party functions. Speaking at a press conference Mr. Meta said Mr. Vasili has tendered his resignation after being entrusted with heading the party’s efforts for the 2013 elections.
“The leadership of the party decided unanimously to place Petrit Vasili as head of the [organizational] committee,” Mr. Meta said at the press conference.
Former Economy Minister Nasip Na诠also remains out of the cabinet with the reshuffle, but he is expected to go back to to the office of deputy parliament speaker, which he has held in the past.
As part of the coalition agreement, signed in 2009, the prime minister said the ministries controlled by SMI are to be lead by the ministers SMI proposes, and the Democratic Party would honor the agreement and allow the changes to go through. “The names of the ministers are a prerogative of our coalition ally,” Mr. Berisha said last time SMI changed its ministers.
After official proposals, President Bamir Topi decreed the four cabinet changes, and they are now official.
SMI reshuffle reasons unclear
The reasoning behind the changes were not immediately clear and little explanation was given at a press conference held by SMI leader Meta. In the past similar decisions have been justified in public by Mr. Meta as attempts to speed up the European integration of Albania. However, these latest changes do not meet that criteria and have baffled political analysts because most of the new ministers are not experts in the areas with which they are being entrusted.
One likely reason behind the changes is keeping a right balance among different factions inside SMI, as it appears there are several SMI factions even inside a party that has a notorious reputation of being run like a private enterprise by its leader, Mr. Meta. The incoming health minister, for example, had long criticized the work of his predecessor, aiming to take his place.
Questions surround new appointments
The opposition and independent analysts have questioned the new appointments, saying there was no good reason for them and that the new ministers are not the best choices to lead very important sectors of governance.
Now less than a year away before the scheduled general elections, any changes to the government would make sense if they were aimed at improving the functioning of government, to improve its work in a particular sector or to gain further support for the next elections. However, these latest changes meet none of these criteria and do not improve the work of government – as such they are difficult to understand and interpret in a democratic context, independent analysts note.
Opposition not happy
In interviews with Albanian media opposition members of parliament and others said the government reshuffle served to redistribute the fruits of being in power.
“It’s simply a rotation of thieves,” Socialist Member of Parliament Ermonela Felaj told a local newspaper. “Their only aim is to profit as much as possible using their power.”
Dashamir Shehi, a right wing politician in opposition with the prime minister, told the local media the changes are meaningless, but the division of power behind them is troublesome.
“Those who were there and those coming in both don’t provide a lot of value. This is about fruits of power and they have been divided a long time ago. Power has been split by percentage. And there is zero percent left for the public,” he told a local newspaper.
Parties decide on names
But Democratic Party member of parliament Luciano Boci notes the changes are simply part of a 2009 agreement between the Democrats and the SMI and that the names of a ministers are a technicality to be decided at the party level.
“SMI did not ask for changes in the ministries it has. The changes of the minister names as a formality are part of the party decision making and as such are administered by the parties,” Mr. Boci told a local newspaper. “The fact that we gave the okay is not tied to the names.”
However independent observers point out that the names are important because new ministers are not the best choices to lead very important sectors of governance.
In addition, there are calls to reform the current system of party decisions on who is appointed minister.
Independent analysts note that recent partial reshuffle of the Albanian government further shows that the state of democracy in Albania is weak and that autocracy in government and inside political parties is alive and well.
