As the country is engulfed in massive protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, below we bring you a glimpse of what his former associates, with whom he shared common paths in politics, think. The historic leader of the Socialist Party, the late Fatos Nano, has described Rama as a wealthy freemason who is unstoppable.
“I am very sorry, it pains me that the adventurism of this enriched freemason, Edivin Rama, in Albania is not being stopped by anyone today,” Nano said. Meanwhile, former SP vice-chairman Servet Pëllumbi has stated about Rama that the latter does not refer to and addresses programs for the left. “He who says he is a leftist, declares that he has done it for the leftists. He does not refer to those strata that are leftist and require a leftist program, given their own socio-economic situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, former minister and former SP MP, Arta Dade claims that the SP is a paralyzed force, without democracy, where only one person commands. “Now I see that nothing is happening. It is a paralyzed force, without internal democracy, only one person commands, it is a one man show,” Dade says. Former SP MP, Koço Kokoëdhima, has also criticized the government in time, who has made accusations against the Rama government.
“Who speaks on behalf of the state budget? Those who, with the greatest greed, destroy the state budget. With PPP, they buy them from the private sector for 20 times. These for 1 million dollars, buy 20 million dollars. These have set the most terrible prices on the planet. They commit the most unprecedented robberies on the budget.”, said Kokëdhima. Meanwhile, Ben Blushi, who has never been sparing towards Edi Rama, was once harsh. “Do you know how Edi Rama’s 1,000 days in power are divided? 100 days of selfies, 200 days on the plane, 300 days in the stadium and 400 days in prison. He dedicated more to prisons,” said Blushi.
Former minister Arben Malaj is also critical, stating that it is better to eat dry bread than a $1,000 steak.
“It’s better to eat dry bread like we used to eat, than a $1,000 steak. It’s better to drink apple juice in Vermosh, than to drink 33,000 euro wine,” said Arben Malaj. Meanwhile, former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj has previously made shocking testimony regarding Rama’s power and allegations of his links to crime.
“I, at least naively, have not been able to see the return of state structures to the function of one man, the head of the organization. Today, Albania is in the hands of crime. Political coordinators have been replaced by crime coordinators,” said Ahmetaj.