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While changes are expected in the government cabinet and protests have been ongoing for weeks in front of the Prime Minister's Office, analyst and security expert Ilir Kulla says that the real challenge for Prime Minister Edi Rama is not just changing ministers, but fulfilling the obligations that, according to him, are required by international partners.
Invited to the podcast "Të Pashoj", Kulla stated that changes in government can only be valuable if they are accompanied by concrete actions against corruption, crime, and interests linked to power.
" The point is that if the prime minister decides to make some of the things that the protest talks about, some of the aspects that it raises, a reality, then the situation changes. International partners are not asking Mr. Rama to leave. They are asking him to do the job. If he did the job, it is a situation. If he did not do it, then he must leave ," said Kulla.
To illustrate his argument, Kulla brought to attention an episode from the time when the late Minister Sokol Olldashi headed the Ministry of Interior, saying that the fight against crime requires difficult decisions even towards people close to him politically.
" Sokol Olldashi decided to hit the gang leaders and asked for the help of his Italian partners to capture Aldo Bare. But, before that operation was undertaken, his partners asked him to arrest other people who were supporters of the Democratic Party in the area where he was elected MP. It was a very heavy political price, but he did it. This is the difference between words and action when it comes to the state ," he said.
According to the analyst, even today there is a similar expectation from international partners, who, according to him, expect concrete blows against persons involved in criminal or corrupt affairs.
" We will see if action will be taken with that list that no one says publicly, but that I am convinced exists. On that list there are people involved in crime, business people, oligarchs and political figures who should be investigated, punished and held accountable. This is what is expected to happen ," declared Kulla.
The analyst said that the developments of recent months are not coincidental and linked them to the demands that, according to him, the United States has addressed to Albania.
" Let's not forget that at the beginning of this year the US State Department had left some tasks for Albania. It is no coincidence that many of the demands raised by the protest today align with those priorities. For a long time, Mr. Rama bought time with different narratives, talking about Greece, Serbia, Russia or Iran, but in the end, there are still homework assignments that need to be done ," he said.
In conclusion, Kulla said that the coming months will show whether the government will choose the path of reform or political conflict.
" If Mr. Rama does a deep reflection and undertakes to do what a government that aims for membership in the European Union should do, then we will see a different situation. If he does not, then his fight for political survival will multiply, just as the confrontation with the protest will multiply ," concluded Kulla.
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