"We cannot enter into the dance of automatic resignations every time an accusation is raised. I know very well the European theory and practice of moral resignation, but today in Albania, where through SPAK justice is doing an undeniable service to the country, but also a serious harm to the administration, the governance mechanism cannot be adjusted and tweaked every time an accusation is made," said Edi Rama today in the meeting he held with the SP parliamentary group.
But the prime minister's statement shows a change in his approach to justice and a rejection of the standard he had set for the socialists a few years ago.
As a reminder, in June 2021, when the Socialist Party Congress was being held, Rama gave a clear message to his subordinates.
"The SP flag will not become a cover for any minister, MP, director, boss, if the new justice system demands accountability from him or her. Our reaction will be even clearer, even more decisive: Go explain yourself to the justice system with your lawyer," he said.
Rama also recalled this message in July of that year, when the big fish of the administration, such as the socialist mayor of Lushnja, had begun to fall into SPAK's net.
"The Mayor of Lushnja and anyone else accused by the justice system in this case or in any case, will not have any protection from the Socialist Party and must answer to justice themselves, with their lawyers and with their own mouths," Rama said.
In fact, this standard was maintained for some of his subordinates and associates, who, as soon as they received information that they were on the radar of judicial investigations, resigned several months before their arrest was requested.
Surprisingly, with the passage of time, when the blow in the ranks of the Socialist Party is also hitting the acting deputy prime minister, the prime minister's stance in relation to what he has said and the justice system has changed. Once, the unquestionable resignation and the party's support for the accused were not even considered and were standards that were not discussed. While today, although he is aware that it is a European practice, for Rama it is a serious damage to the administration.
