TIRANA, Dec. 28 – Prime Minister Edi Rama announced substantial changes to the country’s governing body on Friday morning during the Socialist Party Assembly, ousting seven ministers and replacing them with names unknown and unrelated to the SP.
The changes came from what Rama called the “shock” the government felt from the university students’ protests that took Albania by storm throughout December and tore the Socialist government’s facade apart.
He himself admitted that “this protest has given us something we should preserve and feed. The spirit of reaction with complete resentment towards oneself. And I invite all of you, and the change of government, to see it as part of a review and overcoming that is necessary to turn that mandate into the results that will lead to the victory of the third term. The students gave us the opportunity to read what the path to getting the third mandate is.”
Today’s ruling ousted some important names from the SP government, including Economy Minister Arben Ahmetaj and Energy and Infrastructure Minister Damian Gjiknuri, who after the 2017 elections received far-reaching powers. Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati and Culture Minister Mirela Kumbaro were also ousted.
Ahmetaj was replaced by Anila Denaj, current director of the National Health Service Fund and Gjiknuri by Belinda Balluku, the current Civil Aviation Director, while Bushati was replaced by Gent Cakaj.
The country’s Deputy Prime Minister was also replaced, in her place coming long-time SP member Erion Brace.
Political experts hurried to point out it is unprecedented for these important government members to be replaced by names who are not affiliated neither with the Socialist Party, nor with politics in general, having little experience in politics.
It is moreover unprecedented for a non-Albanian citizen to take over the Foreign Ministry.
Possibly as a direct reaction to the university student protests, Rama ousted the Minister of Education Lindita Nikolla, replacing her with the Deputy Education Minister Besa Shahini. The new Education Minister, in addition to being from Kosovo, is also quite inexperienced in the field, according to experts, especially in context of the government’s educational failure the student protests unveiled last month.
Gjiknuri was the other “hot” ousting, as the Minister was this month directly involved in the year’s most corrupt money-laundering scheme: the US offshore company that was caught cheating on the way it won the Great Ring government tender worth almost 30 million euros and hiding Albanian oligarch Bashkim Ulaj behind it. Gjiknuri, directly responsible of the ministry granting the tenders, claimed ignorant of the affair the whole time.
Reactions were countless after Rama’s announcement.
President Ilir Meta said that what really needs to change is the government’s philosophy of governance, which should take the form of a collaborative governance.
What is essential for me is for the philosophy of governance to change, which should be a collaborative philosophy. Cooperating with the opposition, cooperating with interest groups, for making the best laws and their implementation,” President Meta said.
However, field experts have pointed out that in order for the promises the Rama government is set to deliver to become reality, naming inexperienced and politically young ministers is not going to help the state technically.
As for the philosophy of governance, political experts pointed out this would require the withdrawal of the PM himself, rather than the change of the government body. It is actually unprecedented for a PM to disperse his entire cabinet without also removing himself, except for in dictatorships.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party called the government reshuffle a real mockery of the Albanian people.
“The government changes are a mockery of Albanians. Edi Rama is treating them as unworthy people who can be ruled by whoever he wishes. Rama could have appointed his driver or his hairdresser for that matter,” head of the DP Lulzim Basha said.
Ousted Ministers
Senida Mesi, Deputy Prime Minister
Arben Ahmetaj, Economy Minister
Damian Gjiknuri, Energy and Infrastructure Minister
Ditmir Bushati, Foreign Affairs Minister
Lindita Nikolla,Education Minister
Niko Peleshi, Rural Development and Agriculture Minister
Sonila Qato, Business and Entrepreneurship Minister
Mirela Kumbaro, Culture Minister
Replaced by
Erion Braà§e
Anila Denaj
Belinda Balluku
Gent Caka
Besa Shahini
Blendi à‡uà§i
Eduard Shalsi
Elva Margariti
Elisa Spiropali, Parliament Relations Minister
