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Rama IV Government

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rama IV Government

68th Government of Albania
2025‒Incumbent
Date established12 September 2025; 10 months ago (2025-09-12)
Leadership and composition
Bajram Begaj
Edi Rama
Belinda Balluku (until 26 February 2026)
Albana Koçiu (from 26 February 2026)
No. of ministers
17[a][b]
Total no. of members
17[a][b]
Member parties
  PS with support from
  PSD
Status in legislature
Majority
Opposition parties
  PD,   PL,   PM,   SHB
  LB,   PR,   PDIU,   PAA
  PBDNJ
Opposition leader
Sali Berisha
Formation and history
Election2025 election
PredecessorRama III Government

The fourth Government of Prime Minister Edi Rama is the 68th ruling Government of the Republic of Albania. Rama was decreed prime minister by President Bajram Begaj on 12 September 2025, after the Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive parliamentary election.[1] The Council of Ministers was decreed on 15 September and approved by the Assembly on 18 September 2025, receiving 82 votes in the 140-seat parliament.[2][3] Rama presented Albania's accession to the European Union by 2030 as the central goal of his fourth mandate.[3] The government has also been marked by controversy over the appointment of the AI-generated virtual minister Diella, a corruption investigation involving deputy prime minister Belinda Balluku, and the 2026 Flamingo Revolution. The latter began with protests over a luxury resort project located near protected coastal areas and linked to Jared Kushner, but developed into a broader anti-government and anti-corruption movement calling for Rama's resignation.[4][5][6][7][8]

Background and formation

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The government was formed after the 2025 Albanian parliamentary election, in which the Socialist Party secured another parliamentary majority. Reuters described the result as an unprecedented fourth term for Rama, while reporting that the opposition rejected the outcome and alleged that the vote had been stolen.[9] The OSCE/ODIHR final report stated that the election was competitive and professionally managed, but took place in a highly polarised environment and that contestants did not enjoy a level playing field. The report cited reports of intimidation, misuse of public resources, pressure on public employees, vote-buying, problems with ballot secrecy and procedural shortcomings during election day.[10]

Rama unveiled his fourth cabinet in September 2025. The new government included a large reshuffle and the creation of a virtual ministerial post for artificial intelligence, represented by Diella.[11][2] During the parliamentary vote on the new cabinet, Rama said EU integration would be the centrepiece of the mandate; opposition leader Sali Berisha criticised the government and its programme, alleging corruption and constitutional violations.[3]

Cabinet

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AI minister

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The cabinet includes the world's first AI minister, Diella,[11] serving as Virtual Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence.[12] The responsibilities for establishing and operating the Virtual Minister of Artificial Intelligence are exercised by the prime minister.[2] Rama said the system would be used to increase transparency in public tenders and fight corruption.[3] The opposition criticised the appointment as unconstitutional because Diella is not a human being and does not have Albanian citizenship, and argued that it could create additional risks of corruption rather than solve them.[3]

In February 2026, Albanian actor Anila Bisha sued the government, alleging that her face and voice had been used without proper consent to create Diella. The government rejected the claim and said it was prepared to address the matter in court.[4]

Belinda Balluku case and February 2026 reshuffle

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On 20 November 2025, the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime removed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku from office after she was indicted by SPAK over her alleged role in selecting a company to build the government-financed Llogara Tunnel.[13] Balluku described the accusations in parliament as "mudslinging, insinuations, half-truths and lies" and said she would cooperate with the judiciary.[13] Prosecutors later sought the lifting of her parliamentary immunity in order to allow her arrest, while Rama criticised what he described as judicial overreach.[14]

According to Reuters, the allegations focused on two tenders from 2021: the Llogara Tunnel and a section of the Tirana Outer Ring Road. Prosecutors alleged that Balluku had steered tenders to favour specific companies; she denied wrongdoing.[15] The case triggered opposition protests in Tirana in December 2025, including demonstrations outside the government building demanding the government's resignation.[16] On 26 February 2026, Rama dismissed Balluku as part of a wider cabinet reshuffle.[5] Albana Koçiu replaced her as deputy prime minister, while several other ministerial posts were also changed.[5]

Current composition

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PortfolioMinisterTook officeLeft officePartyRef
Prime Minister12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Deputy Prime Minister12 September 202526 February 2026 PS[5]
26 February 2026Incumbent PS
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Ministry of Defence12 September 202526 February 2026 PS
26 February 2026Incumbent PS
Ministry of Economy and Innovation12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Ministry of Education12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Ministry of Environment12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs12 September 202526 February 2026 PS
26 February 2026Incumbent PS
Ministry of Finance12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Ministry of Health and Social Protection12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy12 September 202526 February 2026 PS
26 February 2026Incumbent PS
Ministry of Interior12 September 202526 February 2026 PS
26 February 2026Incumbent PS
Ministry of Justice12 September 202526 February 2026 PS
26 February 2026Incumbent PS
Ministry of State and Chief Negotiator12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Ministry of State for Artificial Intelligence
None
(powered by Diella)[c]
12 September 2025Incumbent Independent
Ministry of State for Local Government12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Ministry of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption12 September 2025Incumbent PS
Ministry of State for Relations with Parliament12 September 202526 February 2026 PS
26 February 2026Incumbent PS


Controversies and criticism

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Election conduct

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The formation of the government followed an election in which the Socialist Party won a majority, but international observers and the opposition raised concerns about the fairness of the process. The OSCE/ODIHR final report stated that candidates were generally able to campaign freely, but that the election did not provide a level playing field due to reports of intimidation, misuse of state resources, pressure on public employees, vote-buying, and procedural problems.[10] Reuters reported that the opposition alleged the vote had been stolen, while Rama's Socialist Party said the result reflected public support for its EU-integration programme.[9]

Corruption and public procurement

[edit]

The Balluku case made public procurement a central controversy of the Rama IV Government. Reuters described the investigation as a probe into corruption at the heart of the government, with prosecutors alleging that public tenders for the Llogara Tunnel and Tirana Outer Ring Road were manipulated to favour specific companies.[15] Balluku denied wrongdoing, and Rama criticised some judicial measures against cabinet officials as overreach.[14] The case triggered several opposition protests in late 2025 and early 2026.[16][5]

Flamingo Revolution and anti-government protests

[edit]

In June 2026, the government faced nationwide protests known as the Flamingo Revolution. The demonstrations began after work started near a proposed luxury resort project backed by Jared Kushner near Sazan Island and the Vjosa–Nartë Protected Landscape, an ecologically sensitive area that includes habitats for flamingos, seals and sea turtles.[6][17] Environmental organisations and local residents opposed the project on ecological and property-rights grounds, while protesters accused the government of lack of transparency, favouritism toward foreign investors and misuse of public land.[6][7]

The protests quickly developed beyond opposition to the resort into a wider anti-government and anti-corruption movement. Reuters reported that demonstrators gathered outside the prime minister's office with flamingo symbols, chanted "revolution", displayed placards reading "Edi Rama, resign", and accused corrupt politicians of deciding the fate of Albania's property and natural heritage.[6] In a later report, Reuters said protesters were also expressing broader grievances over Rama's 13 years in power, corruption and poor public services, with one student saying the demonstrations were "not only for biodiversity but for every injustice we face" and would continue until Rama resigned.[17] Le Monde similarly described the movement as both environmental and anti-corruption, reporting that its demands had expanded to include Rama's resignation and that activists viewed the project as a symbol of an oligarchic system and of the prime minister's style of rule since 2013.[7]

Rama defended the development, saying it would modernise Albania and that environmental assessments would be carried out. He also dismissed some of the criticism as politically or externally motivated.[17] The European Commission warned Albania to align with EU environmental law, stating that actions undermining regulatory alignment could affect Albania's EU accession path.[18] On 20 June 2026, the Financial Times reported that tens of thousands of people had joined one of Albania's largest protests in recent years, and that the movement had widened from environmental objections into broader anger over corruption and elite control of public land.[8]

Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. 1 2 The PM and Deputy Prime Minister are not counted.
  2. 1 2 Not counting the "AI minister."
  3. ↑ The responsibilities for Diella fall under the authority of Prime Minister Rama

References

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  1. ↑ "Presidenti Begaj dekreton emërimin e Kryeministrit të Republikës së Shqipërisë" [President Begaj decrees the appointment of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania] (in Albanian). President of Albania. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "President Begaj decreed the composition of the Council of Ministers". President of Albania. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Albania's Rama starts fourth term as PM, targets EU membership". Reuters. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Albanian actor sues government for using her image as "AI minister"". Reuters. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Albanian PM fires deputy as corruption investigation heats up". Reuters. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Bytyci, Fatos (5 June 2026). "'Albania is not for sale', protesters say over Kushner-linked luxury resort near a protected wetland". Reuters. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Chastand, Jean-Baptiste (6 June 2026). "Albania's 'Flamingo Revolution' rises up against the Trump family and Prime Minister Edi Rama". Le Monde. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Tens of thousands of Albanians join 'Flamingo Revolution' protest". Financial Times. 20 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 Bytyci, Fatos (13 May 2025). "Albania's Rama wins historic fourth term, opposition says vote stolen". Reuters. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Albania parliamentary elections 2025: ODIHR election observation mission final report". OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Albania appoints world's first AI-made minister". Politico. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  12. ↑ "Diella". Council of Ministers of Albania. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  13. 1 2 "Albanian court dismisses PM Rama's deputy over corruption charges". Reuters. 20 November 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Albanian PM seeks to stop judiciary from suspending ministers". Reuters. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  15. 1 2 "The probe into corruption at the heart of Albania's government". Reuters. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Corruption charges spark protests against Albanian government". Reuters. 22 December 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 McAllister, Edward (8 June 2026). "Albania's Rama vows to push on with Kushner-linked luxury resort despite protests". Reuters. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "Brussels presses Albania as Kushner resort threatens to flout EU environmental law". Reuters. 9 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
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