Edi Rama sworn in for fourth term as Albanian Prime Minister
Edi Rama was sworn in on Monday for a fourth consecutive term as Albania’s Prime Minister, along with his 16-member cabinet, in a ceremony before the President. The new cabinet is gender-balanced, featuring eight men and eight women — a shift from the previous government where women held a majority of ministerial posts.
Why is this important: The Rama 4 government introduces two major firsts: Albania’s first-ever female Minister of Interior and the world’s first virtual minister created through artificial intelligence.
Context: Just hours after the swearing-in, Rama personally introduced Albana Koçiu as the new Minister of Interior, underlining the historic nature of her appointment. For the first time in Albania’s history, the ministry will be led by a woman. Rama said that unlike her predecessors, Koçiu’s focus will not only be on crime and security but also on systemic issues like territorial control and illegal construction, areas where the police have been accused of selective enforcement.
The Prime Minister reiterated his long-standing frustration over the absence of a functioning address system — an issue he has raised since his time as Mayor of Tirana. He announced that the upcoming administrative-territorial reform in parliament will include restructuring the role of prefectures to improve governance and oversight.
Rama also voiced criticism over bureaucratic delays in issuing work permits, shortcomings in the forensic police, and inefficiencies within the asset-seizure agency, but said that “the wind of change has begun” in these institutions.
What else: In his address he repeated his harsh criticism of both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, that he initially uttered at the Socialist Party Assembly. He accused them both of “live in a different time zone” compared to the rest of society, but he expressed optimism that technology and artificial intelligence will bring them closer to real-time performance.
Minister Koçiu, speaking on behalf of her new administration, pledged that “work, not words” will define the ministry’s approach moving forward.
Next steps: The new government will now focus on implementing administrative reforms, including strengthening territorial control, modernizing policing, and integrating AI solutions across ministries.
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