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Prime Minister Edi Rama has revealed the composition of the new government at the meeting of the National Assembly of the Socialist Party on Thursday as it is was announced. Rama also made public the names of the new Executive Secretariat of the Socialist Party, the leaders of the regions, as well as the working group of the Political Academy.
During the meeting of the National Assembly of the SP, Rama informed that the General Secretary of the SP will be Damian Gjiknuri.
“I have the greatest appreciation for the dedicated work that Taulant Balla has done in this task. He has kept without complaining two heavy pumpkins under one armpit and moreover in a difficult period between pandemic and opposition stupidity. But, to succeed in this ambitious new project of the second renaissance of the SP, these two important loads cannot be held by one person. This is because the responsibility of the chairman of the parliamentary group during this mandate should be focused on increasing the quantity but also the quality of the activity of the deputies in the constituencies, in Kosovo and in international relations,” said Rama.
Rama decided that his closest aid will be Arben Ahmetaj, who will replace Erion Brace, who announced his departure a few days ago through a post on social networks.
Olta Xhacka, Ogerta Manastirliu, Belinda Balluku, Niko Peleshi, Bledi Cuci, Elva Margariti and Evis Kushi have been reconfirmed in office. While Etilda Gjonaj, who was entrusted with the post of Secretary for Women, will be replaced by Ulsi Manja who will head the Ministry of Justice.
Eight of the new government’s 12 ministries will be headed by women and only four by men. All four ministers without a portfolio will also be women. Four of the 16 ministers are political novices while the rest have had political careers.
The four ministers without portfolio will be Elisa Spiropali, as Minister for Relations with Parliament, Edona Bilali, as Minister for the Protection of Entrepreneurship, Milva Ekonomi, as Minister for Standards and Services, and Bora Muzhaqi, as Minister for Youth and Children.
In his speech, Rama defended his electoral victory as legitimate and condemned unnamed critics who, according to him, had tried to throw mud over his success.
Rama, 57, won the April elections amid allegations that he owed his success to enormous political machinery that feeds on state resources and uses voter intimidation. Rama acknowledged that assigning public-sector jobs for ruling party members and their relatives has become an important part of Albanian politics.
“The main theme in any party meeting should not be how to employ members of the party or their relatives in the state. Such meetings should be considered a failure,” he told his Socialist Party members in a speech that lasted more than one hour.
The presentation of Rama’s new team was life-streamed without the presence of journalists.
During his speech the PM did not mention the thorny issue of the sheltering of the Afghan refugees, an issue which has been handled by him personally. He also could not fail to make fund of the opposition leader, Lulzim Basha. / argumentum.al
