Rrahman Rraja has officially submitted his resignation from the deputy’s mandate to the Assembly, this Monday morning.

According to the list of deputies provided by the Socialist Party in the Central Election Commission, he will be replaced by Arkend Balla, who will receive Rraja’s mandate until the next parliamentary elections.

Rraja had previously announced he would resign from his mandate as a legislator and would withdraw from political life, as his son and two brothers are co-authors and are now wanted by the police in relation to a land dispute on a stone quarry in Fushë Kruja.

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.

A video emerging on social media in Albania depicted Rraja’s son, as well as his two brothers, along with at least 5 other individuals, attacking two individuals in a café using blunt objects.

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 these 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 are members of the Maja family, while most of the perpetrators belong to the Rraja family.

The conflict on the stone quarry however, goes beyond both families and also involves residents of the area, who have long complained that excavations and explosions in the disputed land are conducted without professional standards, endangering their lives and damaging their homes.

Complaints and denunciations from residents have also led to a violent reaction from the group led by family members of the former Socialist deputy.

Rrahman 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 residents of the region had previously elected him as mayor as well as their representative in two terms.

Shortly after the incident came to light, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama dismissed Bledi Çuçi as Minister of Interior, appointing Taulant Balla in his stead.

Although the Prime Minister did not clarify if Çuçi’s dismissal is directly related to the violent incident in Fushë Kruja, the opposition has been quick to link both events.

Usually in Albania, changes in the Ministry of Interior are followed by changes in the leadership of the State Police.