FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The American artist's performance in Tirana has become a political problem for Prime Minister Edi Rama, while protests against the government have taken on broader dimensions than the initial dissatisfaction.
Controversial American rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, performed last Saturday near Tirana in a concert that was reportedly financed with public money. Prime Minister Edi Rama's government awarded the private concert organizer around 4.2 million euros, fearing that the event, announced with great fanfare, might be canceled due to low ticket sales.
A few days before the concert, Rama declared in a Facebook video that with this financial support he had avoided an embarrassment for Albania. The Prime Minister also blamed the protesters of the so-called "Flamingo Revolution", accusing them of slander and sabotage. According to him, their campaign had scared away music fans and had negatively affected ticket sales. For weeks, daily protests have been taking place in the country against the government.
Many European countries have canceled Kanye West's concerts due to his repeated anti-Semitic and racist statements. However, Rama, who has consistently expressed support for Israel, allowed the construction of a temporary stadium, called Eagle Stadium, with a capacity of 60,000 spectators, especially for the artist's concert.
The event was intended to be a promotional success for Albania, but the result was the opposite. When it was revealed that the government had secured 4.2 million euros through a normative act, using the state budget's emergency fund, the concert turned into a political scandal. These funds are intended to cope with natural disasters, and their use to finance a concert is considered by critics to be a violation of the law.
As a result, the opposition filed a complaint with the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) against Prime Minister Rama and the Minister of Culture, accusing them of abuse of office and violation of competition rules in public procurement.
Beyond the legal aspect, the biggest reaction from citizens is related to the use of public money for a concert at a time when the country is facing high inflation and numerous structural problems. According to the article, Rama's decision came at the most inopportune moment and showed that the government has lost touch with the concerns of citizens./ Adapted with abbreviations "Pamphlet" from "Neue Zuercher Zeitung"
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