Rama launches campaign for Tirana from podcast: Manastirliu will make history, the first woman to lead the capital

Tirana will not only have its first female mayor in the November 9 elections, but Ogerta Manastirliu will join the group of people who will make history. This was stated by Prime Minister Edi Rama in the 'Flasim' podcast, in which he invited Ogerta Manastirliu, the socialist MP, who on September 11 was announced by the socialist leader as the SP candidate for the by-elections in the Municipality of Tirana.

It seems that Rama has launched his campaign for Tirana from his podcast 'Flasim', which he has brought back after a few months of hiatus.

The Prime Minister has chosen this way to give a boost to the campaign for the by-elections, even blaming the 'brutality of justice' for the situation that led to the dismissal of Erion Veliaj as Mayor of Tirana, even though for about two weeks it was Edi Rama who carefully directed every decision-making, from the Municipal Council hall, to the sealing of the decision by the Government. 

For more than an hour, Rama gave Manastirliu enough time to tell her story, from her childhood, but also to highlight her contributions to the Socialist Party or institutions. 

Manastirliu has given a long account, from childhood, her involvement as an activist in the Socialist Party, and then her career in the Municipality of Tirana, during the time when it was led by Edi Rama (second term as Mayor) and then her political career.

During the interview, Manastirliu recounted how her family reacted to the news of her candidacy.

"Altea told me: How is it possible that he didn't ask you? Emil told me: You don't have anything to do now, you'll do this too."

"Ermali was the only one who, unlike other times, did not write to me directly, but then we had a long conversation," she said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rama said that the reason why he did not tell him the news earlier, rather than hearing it live at the Socialist Party Assembly, was the fact that no one is perfect.

Excerpt from the conversation

Ogerta Manastirliu:  I fell in love with Ermal in high school. We built our life together. We said yes to each other in 2005, 20 years ago. After we finished school. The family knew, they were open. I went home, we had no obstacles. I became a mother the same year we got married. While the second daughter came in 2009. Everything should have its time. Making decisions to have a larger family requires time to dedicate. My time has been limited because of this journey. Family is my great strength. Ermal is the pillar I rely on and I find rest because he has relieved me of the commitments I had to have as a mother in relation to the girls. We compliment each other.

Edi Rama:  I know what it means to have a husband who is mayor and prime minister. It is a burden and a sacrifice that no one can bear. I try to understand it to some extent, but I don't understand it either. What is it like for a man to have his wife in a position that requires time and energy. You are not a schedule person who goes to work at 8 and closes the door at 4.

Ogerta Manastirliu:  It would be good to get a fellow sufferer to fully understand.

Edi Rama:  I don't have the courage to face this because I am the main culprit.

Rama: You will be the new mayor of Tirana. Both those who follow us, but also me, have the right to know a little more about your story. I have known the story since the day we met in that small van during the first elections for Tirana. Where were you born?

Manastirliu: It is not easy to talk about yourself, I was born in Tirana, in a simple Tirana family, my two parents, my mother a dancer in the Opera and Ballet ensemble, my father a soldier. In our childhood family, in a house where harmony prevailed with two opposite characters also because of their professions, but in that harmony and symbiosis we grew up healthy and with many people around us, our family was bigger than the small family itself, in our 70 square meter house in the former Partizani cinema. I grew up between my two grandmothers, aunts, uncles, uncles, aunts, a big family that actually taught me how to live and love people, and to have the opportunity to receive a lot of love, which has fulfilled me and I have always had support.

That street "Luigj Garakuqi" has a history, those are the palaces of artists, we lived on our staircase with the great Çesk Zadeja, two palaces away with the great Avni Mula. Inva later, my most artist, dancer of the ensemble. I remember my childhood, I spent a lot of time in the corridors of the Opera and Ballet Theater. I saw how artists got so tired to do a performance, on the other hand

In the first episode of the new season of the podcast "Flasim", Prime Minister Edi Rama also spoke about negotiations with the EU.

Rama said that so far we have opened 28 negotiation chapters, the last 5 remain, while next year we aim to start closing the chapters.

"Albania passed the baton to Denmark, which organized the European Political Community Summit, where we were once again active in talks about the future of the continent. Equals among equals, as we continue to progress on the path towards EU membership. We have opened 28 negotiation chapters, the last 5 remain. Next year we aim to start closing the chapters, which continues at a record pace," said Rama.

Ogerta Manastirliu has shared a story from her childhood on Prime Minister Edi Rama's 'Flasim' podcast, where she was the first guest in this return of conversations with the Head of Government.

Expressing that he comes from a simple Tirana family, with his father an officer and his mother a dancer at the Opera and Ballet Theater, Manastirliu recounted how he joined the Socialist Party when he was a first-year student at the University.

Manastirliu says she never thought she would one day be part of politics. While she had completed her studies in the field of Chemistry, it was a call from a friend of hers that invited her to become part of the SP group during the local campaign for Tirana, when Edi Rama was a candidate.

"Justice was my dream to study. I didn't manage to get the degree, but my grandmother, who played an important role in me, used to tell me 'don't be sad and angry, don't be happy and joyful.'

Natural sciences have always attracted me. Chemistry was another secret passion. I saw it as the union of two elements, logic and imagination. Then I managed to translate it as a metaphor for life, how important balance is.

Chemistry studies have given me a lot in terms of analytical skills but also in understanding the importance of balance. It is very important to know how to set the right balances. It was a branch or a preparation for a secondary profession. I had not thought that I would work in this field, I thought that I would see myself in a scientific laboratory working on air quality, the environment, perfumes or medicines.

A friend called me and told me to participate in a reorganization of the Socialist Party to conduct a questionnaire for the local elections and if you would be part of this group that goes to the city to collect the opinions of citizens. When she told me the Socialist Party, it didn't seem unfamiliar to me, my grandmother was a 24-carat socialist.

Pranova. He tells me to meet at the Ministry of Culture. I go there was a small van that wrote with Edi Rama about Tirana. I knew Rama as the Minister of Culture and our age was intrigued that he was not like everyone else, with a transformative spirit, a little rebellious. You come there and start a journey. It was a kind of awakening for me to see beyond the center of Tirana.

"We walked all over Tirana with you and for the first time I saw what was happening in the outskirts of Tirana, dark and gloomy. There was also hope that Tirana could be built. Tirana began to gain color," said Manastirliu.

Those of us who discuss the legitimacy of the decree are not to blame, because they have neither the education nor the intellectual independence of Ilir Rusmal, the legal advisor to the President and Minister of Justice of the Democratic Party who resigned solely for his integrity and refused to become a party to corruption.

Prime Minister Edi Rama has praised Ilir Rusmali, advisor to President Bajram Begaj, regarding the decree for partial elections in 6 municipalities, including Tirana, to be held on November 9.

Rama said that anyone who discusses the legitimacy of the President's decree is not at fault, as they lack knowledge of the Constitution.

In this context, Rama praised Ilir Rusmali, advisor to President Begaj.

He said that no one has the intellectual independence of the former DP Minister of Justice and at the same time legal advisor to the president, Ilir Rusmal. 

"Tirana can't wait any longer, anyone who says otherwise has no idea what it takes for this locomotive to move at the right pace." 

"Those of us who discuss the legitimacy of the decree are not to blame, because they have neither the education nor the intellectual independence of Ilir Rusmal, the legal advisor to the President and Minister of Justice of the DP who resigned solely for his integrity and refused to become a party to the corruption that degraded into a macabre tragedy that horrified Albania and shocked the world, not far from where I am speaking to you, somewhere in a place called Gërdec," said Rama.

The Prime Minister made the comments at the beginning of the 'Flasim' Podcast, where Ogerta Manastirlu, the SP candidate for the Municipality of Tirana, is a guest.

Rama considered the holding of partial elections in Tirana as an extraordinary situation, following the arrest of Erion Veliaj on February 10 by order of SPAK.

"On November 9, the citizens of Tirana and 5 other municipalities will vote for mayors. In other cities, these are completely normal elections, while in Tirana they are extraordinary."

This is not because Tirana is the capital, but because it was left without a mayor due to a brutal development of justice.

"Erion Veliaj was taken from the office without trial and taken to detention, where he has been held for months amid a process with, to put it mildly, questionable standards," Rama said.

Prime Minister Edi Rama, in the 5th episode of the podcast "Flasim", stated that the fourth governing mandate will focus on the liberation and transformation of public spaces in the country.

Rama described this not as a temporary action, but as a long-term “mission” to protect settlements from illegal construction and squatters. He also highlighted interventions expected to be made in coastal areas such as Ksamil, Saranda and Velipojë, where municipalities will take over management of beaches to control prices and noise pollution.

Rama further added that healthcare is also on the verge of a new stage of reforms.

"The fourth mandate has begun and will be used for public spaces. And the legal bases we have received for unauthorized constructions are our journey, to free all spaces in our settlements from occupiers to protect our settlements. This is not an action, it is our mission to overthrow it that we have started year after year and mandate after mandate. In Ksamil, Saranda and Velipojë, where iron problems with prices have been observed, municipalities will take over the management of the beaches, music in residential areas will be prohibited. The traditional beach of Durrës has entered a radical transformation. We will do our best to achieve all our goals. Healthcare is entering another stage",  said Prime Minister Rama.

Ogerta Manastirliu, who has been officially announced as the SP candidate in the Tirana Municipal Elections, to be held on November 9, was Edi Rama's first guest on his podcast 'Flasim', which he has returned to after a few months.

At the beginning of the podcast, Rama also spoke about the early elections that will be held in the Municipality of Tirana and beyond. He considered Veliaj's dismissal as a necessity for Tirana, but his imprisonment came as a result of a dubious process being carried out by the judiciary.

"On November 9, the citizens of Tirana and several other municipalities will vote for mayor. The others are completely normal elections, while in Tirana they are extraordinary and not because Tirana is the capital, Tirana was left without a mayor due to a brutal development of justice. Veliaj was removed from office without trial and taken to pre-trial detention where he has been held for months amid a process with questionable standards," said Rama.

Since February 10, 2025, Veliaj has been in detention in Durrës, while recently there has been a battle in the Constitutional Court regarding the decision to dismiss him as Mayor of Tirana.

Veliaj has rejected the Government's decision to dismiss him from office, a process carefully managed by Edi Rama, for almost 2 weeks until the request was formalized by the Tirana Municipal Council and then sealed by the Council of Ministers with a decision.

'Diella is a beautiful success story,' said Prime Minister Edi Rama in his podcast "Flasim" which he has brought back on the eve of holding partial local elections in 6 municipalities, including Tirana.

Speaking to 'Diella', Rama said that he has never felt so many requests for interviews from international media than in recent weeks, since the moment he launched the ministry produced by Artificial Intelligence.

"We are the first country in the world to have a Minister of Artificial Intelligence," said Rama, not hiding his joy at the echoes he has received in the international media. The Prime Minister even said that even if Diella does nothing else, with the echoes she has given Albania in the international arena, she has achieved her mission.

"Diella got attention as soon as she came out and will continue to get attention," said Rama, not forgetting to ironize the critics of the Minister of Artificial Intelligence, especially those who discovered that 'Diella' had 6 fingers.