A special session where the Albanian Parliament would approve government changes announced by Prime Minister Edi Rama has now been postponed until Tuesday.
Initially scheduled for Monday, the session cannot be carried out as the prime minister’s proposals have not yet been decreed by President Bajram Begaj. The exact time of the session will be announced later in the day.
During the Socialist Party Congress held on July 28, Rama, also party leader, proposed changes to the executive he leads. These involve key ministries such as Interior, Defence, and Finance.
Taulant Balla will step down from leading the Ministry of Interior and has been proposed to take over the Ministry of Relations with Parliament. In place of Balla, Ervin Hoxha has been proposed for the Ministry of Interior.
Additionally, Rama proposed that Finance Minister Ervin Mete be replaced by Petrit Malaj. Meanwhile, Niko Peleshi was proposed to step down from the position of Defence Minister, with Pirro Vengu taking his place.
For the position of Speaker of Parliament, Rama proposed Elisa Spiropali, who has thus far led the Ministry for Relations with Parliament.
The current Speaker of Parliament, Lindita Nikolla, resigned from her post on July 26.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Ermonela Felaj, has been proposed to be replaced by Bledi Çuçi, currently head of the Socialist Party parliamentary group.
Approval of these changes requires a special session of Parliament to be held.
Who are the new ministers?
Ervin Hoxha, expected to take over the Ministry of Interior, has previously served as the director of the National Inspectorate for Territorial Defence. For more than 20 years, he has served in various executive roles up to the highest levels of leadership in central and law enforcement institutions of the Albanian state, including the Ministries of Defence, Interior, State Police, Finance, and Justice.
Petrit Malaj is expected to take over the Ministry of Finance, having served until now as the director of the National Agency of Natural Resources.
Meanwhile, Pirro Vengu has been proposed to head the Ministry of Defence, currently serving as head of the Port Authority in Durrës. Previously, he held the position of director of Anti-Corruption at the Prime Minister’s Office.
During his lengthy speech at the Socialist Party congress, Prime Minister Rama criticized several deputies, without naming them, stating they “only meet with voters to take photographs or accompany the prime minister to various activities”.
Rama also announced that there will be a new socialist team for the 2025 elections.
