TIRANA, Sept. 14 – Prime Minister Edi Rama has a history of supporting blood donation drives but a quote this week in which he said his Socialist Party lawmakers should donate blood to counter accusations of “being blood suckers” raised eye brows and led to a political debate.
Rama donated blood Thursday and urged the Socialist Party parliamentary group to do the same in the near future in order to give back to the communities they represent.
His media office had to clarify he had made his “blood suckers” comment as a joke.
However, there was no sense of humor for main opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha, who said Rama’s blood donation initiative was a way for his government to pay back some of the billions of dollars “stolen from the Albanian people.”
Basha said that instead of a noble gesture, the blood drive is part of the faà§ade work the government put forward, while leaving the healthcare sector in shambles.
