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"Edi Rama, painting and power/"Suddeutsche Zeitung": Shouldn't the city be renamed TiRama?

2025-07-06 11:35:00, Politikë CNA

"Edi Rama, painting and power/"Suddeutsche Zeitung":

The German newspaper "Suddeutsche Zeitung" has brought a complete picture of Prime Minister Rama's life as a politician and artist.

The article also mentions the fourth mandate won by the Socialist Party. "Four mandates, a record," the German media quotes in its article, while also highlighting the criticisms of OSCE observers regarding the electoral campaign.

The article also mentions Rama's presence in the front row at important meetings of leaders, while not forgetting to mention the Prime Minister's clothing and the importance he gives to his appearance.

Shouldn't the city be renamed TiRama?, asks the well-known German newspaper "Suddeutsche Zeitung", among others, as it focuses on new construction in the capital.

Among other things, the article emphasizes that despite all the sympathy for the extravagant prime minister, there are major problems in the country with corruption, drug trafficking, money laundering and nepotism - accusations are directed at both the government and the opposition. But public criticism is rare; independent reporting as a journalist is difficult in Albania.

However, Rama is considered a stabilizer in the Balkans within the EU; Ursula von der Leyen calls him "dear Edi." His goal: to bring Albania into the EU by 2030.

There is a danger of "hiding behind art", writes one of Rama's critics

Critics such as Dutch journalist Vincent WJ van Gerven Oei, who lived in Albania for several years, worry that Rama's profile as an artist distracts too much from his politics. He argues that it is not his art, but being an artist, that benefits him politically.

There is a risk of art being washed away, especially when viewed from the outside, as the journalist describes in his texts. When faced with this criticism, Rama expresses incomprehension. He does not understand how art can benefit him in politics.

The newspaper also focuses on how Rama is viewed by people who have known him for years, his friends, and how he sees himself.

People who have known Rama for years say his years in power have changed him. His policies have the hallmarks of an autocracy, and he seems to change his mind on even fundamental issues depending on the political climate, such as EU asylum centers, which he categorically rejected in his own country in 2018. In 2023, he then allowed Italy to build such centers, even if they are currently being used differently than they were originally conceived by the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. Currently, they house people whose asylum requests have already been rejected in Italy.

For artist Adi Dule, a childhood friend, Rama has remained the same.

And how does Edi see himself? Is he the same person he was 27 years ago, when he entered politics, and who they want to hear about at the end of all this? "No, politics changes everyone. But I hope I have remained fundamentally true to myself." He says he has become more patient over the years; otherwise, he would have no chance of surviving the political circus. "However, sometimes I have the impression that I am no longer just one person, but two: a politician and an artist." says the head of the Albanian government, among other things./ CNA