Parliament to hold special session on Tuesday to approve government changes and new Speaker

The Albanian Parliament will convene on Tuesday for a special session to approve changes within the government and appoint the new Speaker of Parliament.

Context

The Socialist parliamentary group gathered this Monday morning to introduce three new ministers proposed by the Prime Minister during the electoral congress held on Sunday. During the meeting, which was conducted without media presence, it was reported that the Prime Minister praised the work of two of the outgoing ministers, Taulant Balla, who led the Ministry of Internal Affairs for one year and is now assigned the position of Minister of State for Relations with Parliament, and Niko Peleshi, who was dismissed as Minister of Defense and will now head the Socialist Parliamentary Group.

The Finance Minister, Ervin Mete, who held the post for just ten months and who is not a member of parliament, was absent from the Socialist parliamentary group meeting. Although the Prime Minister announced the changes during the Congress on Sunday, President Bajram Begaj is taking time to complete background verifications of the new ministers. After the Head of State signs the decrees, the names of the new ministers and the new Speaker will need to receive parliamentary approval and subsequently take an oath before the President.

The government reshuffle came as a surprise to most, including the dismissed ministers who were caught off guard. The Socialist Party seems to be working on a new, more technical governing team and image in the run-up to the elections.