Edi Rama used the Socialist Party’s National Assembly to weave together three political lines in a single speech: the narrative of success on European integration, the defense of the government against criticism, and a firm stance against pretrial detention in cases involving figures in power. At the center of his remarks were also two names that have generated public debate: Belinda Balluku and Erion Veliaj.
2027 and the EU as the political محور of the speech
Rama said that in the latest enlargement report, the European Commission recommended that preparations begin during 2027 for drafting Albania’s treaty of accession to the European Union. According to him, this is the first time this wording has appeared so clearly in the country’s European path.
The prime minister presented this as the strongest proof of the government’s course, claiming that Albania is in the most advanced phase of the integration process. In the same vein, he rejected the opposition’s narrative of the country being in decline or crisis, saying these do not match the assessments coming from Brussels.
Protests, the media and the language of confrontation
A large part of the speech was devoted to protests and the political climate. Rama described the protests as politically instrumentalized and degraded into violence, while using divisive language toward opponents and critical voices in the media and on social networks.
He claimed that the government is under constant pressure from a media environment that is mostly against it and called for the mobilization of Socialist Party structures across the country to speak directly with citizens. His message was clear: the governing party wants to shift the political battle from institutions and television screens to organized party communication on the ground.
Balluku, SPAK and the vote Rama says he would not change
In the most politically sensitive part, Rama defended the majority’s decision not to give its vote for the pretrial detention of Belinda Balluku. He insisted that this was not political protection for her, but opposition to the practice of pretrial detention without trial.
According to his version, the investigations into Balluku continued and the case went to court, so the majority, Rama said, did not become an obstacle to justice. However, his position once again places the government in an unclear relationship with SPAK: formally, it says it protects no one, but politically it takes an active line whenever investigations affect important names in the majority.
Rama also spoke at length about the need, in his view, to change the approach to pretrial detention, calling Albania an extreme case in Europe for the number of detainees held before trial. He said a package of measures on this issue is under consultation.
Veliaj, criticism of pretrial detention and the message for the administration
Unlike the Balluku case, Rama spoke openly against pretrial detention for Erion Veliaj, calling it absurd for the capital to be deprived of its elected mayor without a trial. At the same time, he avoided any comment on the substance of the criminal case, implying that his opposition is linked to the security measure and not to the investigation itself.
The speech also included a strong defense of the public administration, which Rama described as an important link in the reforms and in the EU negotiation process. He called for more discipline within the party and more communication with citizens, at a time when the government is trying to maintain political control in the face of the wear of power and blows from the justice system.
In essence, Rama’s speech was more than a party balance sheet. It was used as a platform to sell European progress as political legitimacy, to cushion the cost of scandals and to call into question the way the justice system is acting when it touches figures in power.
This is precisely where the main knot remains: between the rhetoric of support for independent justice and the reaction every time investigations move close to the center of government, the line continues to look far more flexible than is publicly acknowledged.