Tirana, Albania | Tirana Echo-Albania’s PM Edi Rama has appointed today Fatmir Xhafaj as the new Minister of Interior, in a move likely to further aggravate the political crisis in Albania and relations within the centre-left governing coalition.
Xhafaj who has chaired the Justice Affairs Parliamentary Committe and the Ad-Hoc Justice Reform Committee for the past 3 years, will replace Saimir Tahiri who was fired on Saturday together with 3 other ministers. The appointment is largely seen as a provocative act by PM Edi Rama likely to further antagonise the opposition democrats and aggravate relations with coalition partners LSI.
Xhafaj is regarded as an outspoken oponent of LSI chair and Speaker of Parliament Ilir Meta whose party was critical of former minister Tahiri for his alleged links to criminal structures with drug trafficking interests. New minister Xhafaj has also been under accusation by many democrats as a former political youth secretary in Enver Hoxha’s communist party and for his brother’s links to organised crime in Italy.
The appointments will determine the pace of upcoming June elections which opossition democrats will likely boycott as Xhafaj’s apointment will do little to build trust between majority and opossition. PM Rama has also replaced 3 other ministers, with Olta Xhacka as Minister for Social Welfare, Eduard Shalsi as Minister for Local Affairs and Ogerta Manastirlliu as Health Minister.
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