Albania’s next government will have more women than any other government in the country’s history



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TIRANA, July 31 - Albania’s next government will be younger, more female and filled with fresh faces, the country’s newly-elected prime minister, Edi Rama, has announced, as he presented the names of those who will serve in his cabinet.

The government, which is expected to be sworn in early next month, has the highest number of female ministers in Albania’s history, six, and features several ministers in their early and mid 30s. The majority of the cabinet ministers are newcomers to the cabinet seats and several are of technocratic rather than political backgrounds.

All the ministers who have held cabinet seats before, three, come from the the ranks Socialist Party’s chief ally, the Socialist Movement for Integration. No other member of the coalition with seats in parliament – such as the Greek minority party, PBDNJ, or the Christian Democrats, received seats in the cabinet, though they are expected to receive lower-tear appointments.

Noting that the new cabinet is the result of an intensive dialogue with the head of the Socialist Movement for Integration, Ilir Meta, Rama thanked his key ally for the constructive spirit of cooperation to form a new team.

“We have worked together … to create an appropriate group of people under the idea that a government should work as a team,” Rama said. “Albanians voted for us not to just to change which political side runs the government. They voted us in to radically change the governance model.”

Of the six women in the cabinet, Mimi Kodheli becomes Albania’s first ever female Defense Minister. Another key post given to a female minister is that Klajda Gjosha of the Socialist Movement for Integration, who turned 30 last week and who will serve as Minister of Integration.

Ditmir Bushati, a 35-year-old expert on international law and European issues, will head Albanian diplomacy as Minister of Foreign Affairs, while the Ministry of Interior and will be headed by 33-year-old Sajmir Tahiri.

In addition to the politically-affiliated members of SP and SMI, Rama also tapped an independent representative of civil society, Mirela Kumbaro, a well-known literary figure, to head the Ministry of Culture.

The Socialist Movement for Integration has been given five cabinet seats, leading some key ministries, including the ministries of justice, transport and agriculture. All three ministers who have previously served in an Albanian government also come from this party – Nasip Naco (Justice), Edmond Haxhinasto (Transport) and Edmond Panariti (Agriculture).

Another novelty in the new government is that the deputy prime minister will hold no other ministerial position. The post has been given to Niko Peleshi, who currently serves as the Socialist mayor of the southeastern city of Korça, which means there will have to be by-elections in that city to select a new mayor.

Although there is no legal obligation to do so, Rama has made it clear that those who serve as ministers in his cabinet cannot at the same time be members of parliament and will have to leave their seats – which are to be filled by others in the list of candidates submitted by SP and SMI before the elections.

Having to give up the MP role also means that many key figures in the Socialist Party might have not been willing to leave their legislative seats and thus rejected offers for seats in the cabinet.

However, most of those chosen to serve in the cabinet were also elected to parliament, which means the parliament will have 16 new MPs – most of which will be female, including Albania’s youngest ever member of parliament, 19-year-old Kejdi Mehmetaj of the Socialist Movement for Integration.

Albania’s recently-amended electoral code mandates that until the 30 percent mark is reached, women in electoral lists get to enter parliament before their male counterparts, even if they were ranked higher in the original election list, which is my Mehmetaj, who was last in the Tirana list of SMI gets catapulted into a seat in parliament and why most most of the candidates set to replace those with cabinet seats will also be women, despite being ranked much lower on the candidate lists.

Analysts say Rama has clearly chosen a team of his own for the cabinet. Many of the new ministers – especially those in key positions – have had their careers tied to that of Rama, so ultimate success or failure of the government will fall on the new prime minister’s shoulders.

The new cabinet is also full of technocrats, analysts note. Finance Minister Shkelqim Cani, for example, is a former central bank governor. The minister on relations with the legislative branch, Ilirian Celibashi, is a former judge and head of the Central Elections Commission.

Analysts say that until proved otherwise, in general, there appear to be no glaring problems with the nominations. However, key cabinet posts will have to be under a strong media and public light during their performance, particularly where the nominees might be weak and the tasks great – for example where the minister is not clearly associated with the sector she or he is given to govern.

Chief among these is the education sector, where Lindita Nikolla, takes on a system in crisis, when there are many who say there far more qualified candidates for the job, and where the nominated minister could have been another woman with far more experience and reputation.

Composition of Albania’s next government, expected to be sworn in early September

Prime Minister: Edi Rama (SP, first cabinet post)

Deputy Prime Minister: Niko Peleshi (SP, current Mayor of Korça)

Minister of Finance: Shkelqim Cani (SP, first cabinet post, former central bank governor)

Minister of Interior: Sajmir Tahiri (under 40, first cabinet post)

Minister of Defense: Mimi Kodheli (SP, female, first cabinet post)

Foreign Minister: Ditmir Bushati (SP, under 40, first cabinet post)

Minister of European Integration: Klajda Gjosha (SMI, female, under 40, first cabinet post)

Ministry of Justice: Nasip Naco (SMI)

Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Entrepreneurship: Arben Ahmetaj (SP)

Ministry of Energy and Industry: Damian Gjiknuri (SP, first cabinet seat)

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure: Edmond Haxhinasto (SMI)

Minister of Urban Development and Tourism: Englantina Gjermeni (SP, female, first cabinet seat)

Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Management Edmond Panariti (SMI)

Minister of Health: Ilir Beqja (SP, first cabinet seat)

Minister of Education and Sports: Lindita Nikolla (SP, female)

Minister of Social Welfare and Youth: Erion Veliaj (SP, under 40).

Minister of Environment: Lefter Koka (SMI, first cabinet seat)

Minister of Culture: Mirela Kumbaro (Independent, female)

Minister of State for Public Administration and Innovation: Milena Harito (SP female, first cabinet seat)

Minister of State for Local Affairs: Bledar Cuçi (SP, first cabinet seat)

Minister of State for Relations with Parliament: Ilirijan Celibashi (SP, first cabinet seat, former head of the Central Elections Comission.)