In another parliamentary session where direct accountability from the head of the executive was expected, the political scene in the Assembly once again offered the same familiar panorama: the absence of Prime Minister Edi Rama and the use of peripheral figures to cover the political space.
Faced with the opposition and the priorities of the day, Rama chose not to be present and not to interrupt his visit to the US. The responsibility theoretically fell to Deputy Prime Minister Albana Koçiu, but she too preferred silence. Instead of a substantive debate on the current government, the government cabinet brought Erjona Ismaili, the Minister for Relations with Parliament — a figure almost anonymous to public opinion, to the podium.
The speech prepared by the government and read by her resembled more a pathetic script of negative nostalgia than an official state stance on today's challenges. Instead of responding to the burning issues of governance, the minister went back three decades in time, evoking the ghosts of the political past:
"Albanians do not forget, because there is no way to forget. SHIK, a topic that was mentioned a lot today, is an institution that has represented the collapse of the state since the 90s. Albanians cannot forget the then SHIK as unlimited power in the hands of Berisha's executioners, which persecuted, raped, killed as a political police and was not held accountable anywhere. Gazidede's SHIK cannot be forgotten as the infamous leader of the '97 operation to suppress popular revolts. SHIK, not long ago in 2012, Ilir Kumbaro was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the torture that caused the death of Remzi Hoxha. Tell us a little about how the escape from Albania of the former head of SHIK, who took refuge in Turkey and Syria, took place. How did businessman Fazllic participate in a meeting of the National Security Council at your invitation, Sali. "SHIK was used for your enemies and supporters, it burned newspaper offices, kidnapped and raped journalists. A state without a state, like the one you have governed. A state that is a state has separate powers, where each official has individual responsibility. We fight for the independence of justice, you fight for justice," Ismaili said from the podium.
This strategy of recycling the 1990s to avoid accountability in 2026 shows a deep political wear and tear. When facing today's balance sheet and current scandals becomes difficult, the majority's only solution remains to hide behind history and use weightless ministers as a rhetorical shield in the Assembly.
