Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama dismissed Minister of Internal Affairs Bledar Çuçi on Saturday and is expected to propose the chairman of the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party, Taulant Balla, for this position.
Rama announced through Twitter that he will formalize these proposals on Monday with the President of the Republic.
He did not provide any further details about the reasons for the dismissal, and, as in previous instances, he praised Çuçi “for his always correct work in this duty”.
Të hënën do t’i dorëzoj zyrtarisht Presidentit të Republikës propozimet e mëposhtme! Falenderoj ministrin Bledi Çuçi për punën e tij si gjithnjë korrekte edhe në këtë detyrë dhe uroj që ministri i ri i Brendshëm Taulant Balla, të çojë më tej përpjekjen tonë të palëkundur… pic.twitter.com/11NDahxGou
— Edi Rama (@ediramaal) July 8, 2023
The Secretary General of the Democratic Party, Gazment Bardhi, linked the dismissal of Minister Çuçi to the recent events in Fushë Kruja, where relatives of the socialist deputy Rrahman Rraja assaulted two individuals in a local establishment.
He wrote on Twitter that the dismissal of Minister Çuçi was deserved, but accused Rama for handing over the Ministry of Interior to the hands of organized crime, suggesting his opposition to the proposed new appointee.
“Only in Edi Rama’s government do we see Ministers of Interior appointed not to fight, but to further strengthen and consolidate the links between organized crime and governance,” noted Bardhi.
1/2. Botërisht dihet që Ministrat e Brendshëm emërohen për të luftuar krimin e organizuar. Vetëm në Qeverinë e Edi Ramës ndodh që të emërohen për të forcuar dhe konsoliduar më tej lidhjet mes krimit të organizuar dhe qeverisjes!
— Gazment Bardhi (@GazmentBardhi) July 8, 2023
Meanwhile, Minister Çuçi emphasized on Facebook that for two years, he “worked in this difficult duty with integrity, and together with the team of the Ministry of Interior, we have addressed many challenges related to security, public order, emigration, civil status, and local power”.
On Monday, in addition to the proposals submitted to the President for the change of the Minister of Interior, a meeting of the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party is expected to be held to discuss the procedures for replacing Deputy Rraja, who resigned his mandate as a legislator after his son and brothers led the group of aggressors against two individuals in Fushë Kruja.
It is expected that the agenda of this meeting will also include discussions on government changes as well as the possible replacement of Balla as the chairman of the parliamentary group.
After former Ministers of Interior Saimir Tahiri, Fatmir Xhafaj, and Aleksandër Lleshaj, Minister Çuçi becomes the fourth socialist minister to be dismissed from this position during the ten years of socialist governance.
Usually, changes in the leadership of the police also occur in Albania after the change of the Minister of Interior.
On 8 July, the State Police arrested 4 individuals in Fushë Kruja and declared several others wanted, suspected of physically assaulting two individuals in a local establishment.
Videos of this violence, along with the portraits, weapons, and wooden clubs of the perpetrators, flooded social media and the country’s media.
The video depicts the son of the socialist deputy, Rrahman Rraja, as well as his two brothers, along with at least 5 other individuals, attacking two individuals in a café using blunt objects.
Socialist deputy Rrahman Rraja resigned from his mandate as a legislator and withdrew from political life because his son and two brothers are co-authors of the incident and are among the individuals declared wanted by the police.
Deputy Rraja publicly apologized to the two victims of the violence caused by his family members through a statement and urged his fugitive son to surrender to justice.
He said he was ashamed of his son’s actions, that he had failed as a parent, while the residents of the region had previously elected him as the mayor as well as their representative in two terms.
The arrested individuals and those wanted are accused of intentional grievous bodily harm, illegal possession and production of firearms, organized crime involvement, and obstruction of investigations.
A large number of police forces were engaged in the recent arrests due to the high number of suspects being pursued, as well as the difficult terrain where a considerable number of individuals with criminal records often hide.
The victims of the violence, one of whom is in critical condition, are members of the Maja family, while most of the perpetrators belong to the Rraja family. However, the conflict is broader with the residents of the area due to a land dispute on a stone quarry.
They have complained that the excavation and explosions in the disputed land are conducted without professional standards, endangering lives and damaging homes in the area.
But the complaints and denunciations from the residents have also led to a violent reaction from the group led by the family members of the socialist deputy.
