Voice of America: Ahmetaj's departure was expected, it was talked about for a long time

2022-07-25 21:39:24Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Voice of America: Ahmetaj's departure was expected, it was talked about for
Arben Ahmetaj and Edi Rama

In Albania, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced today several changes in his cabinet, dismissing Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, who was also Minister of State for Reconstruction. The post of Deputy Prime Minister was entrusted to the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku.

In the new cabinet, there will no longer be a Minister of State for Reconstruction. The Prime Minister announced that Majlinda Dhuka will be the Minister of State next to the Prime Minister, who will also be appointed as the chief negotiator in the process of talks with the European Union, replacing Ambassador Zef Mazi in this position.

In a surprising way, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced in the early hours of the day that he had changed the number two of his government cabinet, Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, one of the figures perhaps the longest-lived as part of the socialist governments since 2013. He has covered functions different from the Minister of Economy, to that of Finance, with an interruption in 2019, when he returned to parliamentary life, to be included again in the government cabinet after the November earthquake of the same year.

A possible departure of him had long been rumored in the corridors of the majority. Mr. Ahmetaj's name is also one of the most popular by the opposition for his involvement in the incinerators issue. When this issue was a hot topic of debate, after the parliament had been requested to authorize the arrest of the socialist deputy Alqi Blako, the prime minister, 4 months ago, said that "there is no reason for changes in the cabinet".

Sot ai e motivoi lëvizjen e tij me faktin se Rindërtimi nuk është më prioriteti i qeverisë, duke qenë se ndodhet në fazë përmbyllëse. “Energjia si sfida më kolosale e kësaj periudhe dhe infrastruktura si sfidë e pandërprerë kombëtare, janë bërë sot edhe marrëdhënie intensive me qeveri e institucione ndërkombëtare. Koha që roli i zëvendës-kryeministrit të fokusohet në këto fusha”, shpjegoi kryeministri duke bërë të ditur emërimin në këtë post të ministres së energjisë dhe infrastrukturës, Belinda Balluku.

Por sipas Partisë Demokratike, largimi i zotit Ahmetaj, lidhet pikërisht me çështjen e inceneratorëve. “Edi Rama, për të larë duart me krimin e tij të shëmtuar, aferën ndër më të mëdhatë në historinë e vendit, aferën e djegësave, ka shkarkuar Arben Ahmetajn”, deklaroi ish kryeministri Sali Berisha, i cili ka rimarrë kontrollin e Partisë Demokratike.

Më i papritur ishte largimi i kryenegociatorit të Shqipërisë me BE-në, Zef Mazi, pikërisht tani kur vendi sapo ka nisur procesin e bisedimeve. Ditën kur vendit ju hap rruga për këto bisedime, një javë më pare, zoti Mazi së bashku me ministren e Jashtme Olta Xhaçka, drejtuan sesionin e parë të shqyrtimit analitik të legjislacionit.

"Majlinda Dhuka, a high technical profile instead of the high diplomatic profile of Ambassador Mazi, becomes Chief Negotiator and Minister of State under the Prime Minister", announced Mr. Rama. Ambassador Mazi has not yet made any comment on today's decision of the Prime Minister. His successor, Ms. Dhuka, currently works as a director in the Department of Development and Good Governance at the Prime Minister's Office. With a legal profession, she does not have any previous direct experience in matters related to the European integration process. The government has not distributed any biography of Ms. Dhuka./VOA


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