Brenton Kotorri
1-Of employment and other jokes
The Prime Minister started May with a cliche speech on the occasion of the opening ceremony of a work fair. A speech that had one dimension: The government has worked to promote employment, but we are aware that more needs to be done. The emptiness of this dimension shows a lack of vision from this government in the employment sector and how openly it is ready to show that the promise to open 300 000 new jobs in 4 years, was not really meant.
During this month the Prime Minister continued his ‘’one man show’’ of distributing legalization testimonies throughout Albania. It is quite surprising now, not how the Prime Minister makes jokes, neither how people accept these jokes, but how no one reacts in the media or civil society about it.
2-Pre-legal electoral campaign
Prime Minister Rama has travelled all over the country during this month, congratulating and inaugurating everything he saw and everyone he met. But what is most unacceptable, campaigning without calling it as such. Since the beginning of the month, Mr. Rama started mixing up visits in his capacity as Prime Minister with electoral travels as party leader. For this a clear testimony is the slogal ‘’In the right direction’’, which he started using strongly since the beginning of the month. A slogan that afterwards was officially accepted as the slogan of the Socialist Party of Albania in local elections this year.
Thus, not only was there an infringement of Law No. 10 019 dt. 29.12.2008 (changed with law no. 74/2012), especially article 3, point 7 that says: With the exception of cases foreseen in the law, it is forbidden to put at the disposal of electoral subjects equipment, funds and different materials that constitute public property, as well as human resources of the public administration at any level. Let’s not forget that the Prime Minister can not take vacations and act like party leader for a month or so. Not only theoretically, but also practically, the word of the country’s executive leader is the biggest public asset that a candidate could win during an electoral race. Not focusing in the fact that this campaign started many days before the official opening of the campaign, i.e. 30 days before E-Day.
If we observe this undeclared campaign, but conducted before legal deadlines, we would in fact see a naked Prime Minister. A Prime Minister naked in the literal sense of the word, starting with the tie and protocol costume. We would see the images of a prime minister dressed in T-shirts, with objects and colors, while patting his candidates in the back around Albania. This weak advice given by his advisers, seeks to root in our unconsciouseness the idea that he wears a tie when he is Prime Minister of Albania and tight colored shirts when he is party leader. Even though not legally, ideally the prime minister should not take sides in local elections, since he represents the entire nation and the most important political-judicial post of the system. Maybe someone would say we are seeking the euronordic style of political correctness, however maybe it is true that seeking honesty and nobility in our context is something of an exageration.
3- Quiet dismissals from state positions
In a decision of the Council of Ministers, dated May 6, the following people were dismissed from official positions:
- Jani Babi – Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Administration.
- Selfo Kapllani – Governor/Prefect of the region of Berat
- Melaim Damzi – Governor/Prefect of the region of Diber
- Zamira Rami – Governor/Prefect of the region of Gjirokaster
- Safet Gjici – Governor/Prefect of the region of Kukes
- Ndrec Deda – Governor/Prefect of the region of Lezhe
Of course, dismissing a state official might have many reasons, which are listed in the respective law. However, no one ever clarified why these dismissals were decided. Maybe because no one asked and in this case someone is the media and civil society, or a brave citizen that convinces himself of the right to ask his government. Most of the above mentioned names are already officially candidates for several municipalities in the 2015 local electoral campaign.
References:
1-http://www.fes-tirana.org/media/publications/pdf-files/2015/t-150427-tregu-punes-alb.pdf
2-http://www.kryeministria.al/al/newsroom/vkm
3-http://www.kryeministria.al/al/newsroom/plane-pune-dhe-strategjite
4-http://www.kryeministria.al/al/newsroom/deklarata-per-shtyp
5-http://www.kryeministria.al/al/neësroom/fjalime
6-http://www.qbz.gov.al/botime/kusht…/Kodi_Zgjedhor.pdf
7-https://www.app.gov.al/ep/2015_Arkiva_e_Buletineve.aspx
