TIRANA (Reuters) -Albania’s parliament confirmed a fourth four-year mandate for Prime Minister Edi Rama on Thursday, who pledged he would make it his mission for the Balkan country to join the European Union by 2030.
Rama, who was the only candidate for prime minister, received 82 votes in the 140-seat parliament. His Socialist Party gained a majority for the fourth time in elections in May.
“Albania 2030 in the EU is the centerpiece of this mandate,” Rama told lawmakers. “European Albania is the guiding compass for every aspect of our program and the metronome for the rhythm of every reform we will undertake.”
Albania’s image has been tarnished by corruption scandals and political analysts say the country is a hub for gangs seeking to launder money from drugs and weapons trafficking, complicating its efforts to join the EU by its 2030 target.
In a surprise move, Rama last week nominated an AI-generated bot named Diella (Sun) to manage and award public tenders to private companies to address corruption concerns.
“I am not here to replace people, but to help them,” Diella said during a video address before the new government was voted in.
The appointment was criticised by the opposition as being unconstitutional as the bot is not human, does not hold Albanian nationality and could lead to more corruption.
“It’s true, I do not have any citizenship, nor do I have any personal ambition or interests.”
Opposition politicians also criticised Rama for a lack of debate before the vote on the new government.
“This mandate is based on crime, on corruption, on drugs, and on the violation of the Constitution and the laws of the country,” Sali Berisha, leader of the Democratic Party of Albania, said.
(Reporting by Florion Goga, writing by Fatos Bytyci, editing by Daria Sito-Sucic and Sharon Singleton)
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