- Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama dismissed the Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku.
- Balluku is facing charges of manipulation of public tenders in 2021.
- The fight against corruption is key to Albania’s ambition to join the EU.
On Thursday evening, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama dismissed Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who faces suspicions of manipulation of public tenders. As Reuters reported, in December 2025, the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) accused Balluku of in 2021, it intervened in two construction contracts worth more than 200 million euros, writes TASR.
Parliament is expected to decide on March 5 whether to lift Balluku’s immunity, which would then allow SPAK to arrest her. Ballukuová, who also led the Department of Infrastructure and Energy, denies any wrongdoing.
Rama, who has been in power since 2013, has been defending Balluku for months. Late Thursday, when he announced the reorganization of seven positions in his administration, he did not give a reason for her dismissal. The spokeswoman of the Albanian government, Manjola Hasa, informed in an e-mail sent to the media that Rama has rejected Balluku’s resignation three times in the last almost four months. Balluku was seen as a rising star on the Albanian political scene, whom Rama was courting as his potential successor in office.
After allegations of corruption emerged in Balluku’s case, the opposition Democratic Party staged protests demanding the resignation of Edi Rama, whose government was hit by several corruption scandals last year. Sources in the EU told Reuters that Brussels is watching very closely how Rama deals with suspicions of corruption, recalling that the fight against crime and corruption is key to Albania’s bid to join the bloc by 2030.
As part of the reorganization of the Albanian government, Ermal Nufi became the new minister of defense, replacing Pirro Vengu. The new head of diplomacy is Ferit Hoxha, who took over the department from Elise Spiropaliová. Ballukuová was succeeded in her position in the government by Albana Kočiuová. After Balluku, the Department of Infrastructure and Energy was taken over by Enea Karakači. The post of Minister of Justice was vacated by Besfort Lamallari, who took over as Minister of the Interior, while Toni Gogu was appointed Minister of Justice.
