Prime Minister Edi Rama will be taking over the helm of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEPJ).
In a tweet sent out after the General Assembly of the Socialist Party Rama stated he will assume the office of Minister for Europe Foreign Affairs “de jure,” because President Ilir Meta has refused to dismissed current Minister Ditmir Bushati, who is officially still in office.
The President didn’t decree the dismissal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs within the Constitutional deadline. Yet another violation that we’ll confront, with the others, at the new Constitutional Court. Until that day that will come very fast, I will be de jure in this role because we have no time to lose looking for a President.
The latest decision by Rama follows a harsh exchange of allegations and accusations with the President over the latter’s refusal to decree Rama’s previous nominee to minister of MEPJ, Gent Cakaj.
Rama’s decision means that, instead of current minister Ditmir Bushati, it will be him to lead the process expected to finalize with Albania’s opening of negotiations for accession to the European Union in June this year.
Rama’s self-nomination echoes neighboring Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ same decision after Kotzias’ resignation in October last year.
