Rama IV Government

AI minister

The cabinet includes the world's first AI minister, Diella,^[11] serving as Virtual Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence.^[12] The responsibilities for establishing and operating the Virtual Minister of Artificial Intelligence are exercised by the prime minister.^[2] Rama said the system would be used to increase transparency in public tenders and fight corruption.^[3] The opposition criticised the appointment as unconstitutional because Diella is not a human being and does not have Albanian citizenship, and argued that it could create additional risks of corruption rather than solve them.^[3]

In February 2026, Albanian actor Anila Bisha sued the government, alleging that her face and voice had been used without proper consent to create Diella. The government rejected the claim and said it was prepared to address the matter in court.^[4]

Belinda Balluku case and February 2026 reshuffle

On 20 November 2025, the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime removed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku from office after she was indicted by SPAK over her alleged role in selecting a company to build the government-financed Llogara Tunnel.^[13] Balluku described the accusations in parliament as "mudslinging, insinuations, half-truths and lies" and said she would cooperate with the judiciary.^[13] Prosecutors later sought the lifting of her parliamentary immunity in order to allow her arrest, while Rama criticised what he described as judicial overreach.^[14]

According to Reuters, the allegations focused on two tenders from 2021: the Llogara Tunnel and a section of the Tirana Outer Ring Road. Prosecutors alleged that Balluku had steered tenders to favour specific companies; she denied wrongdoing.^[15] The case triggered opposition protests in Tirana in December 2025, including demonstrations outside the government building demanding the government's resignation.^[16] On 26 February 2026, Rama dismissed Balluku as part of a wider cabinet reshuffle.^[5] Albana Koçiu replaced her as deputy prime minister, while several other ministerial posts were also changed.^[5]

Current composition

Election conduct

The formation of the government followed an election in which the Socialist Party won a majority, but international observers and the opposition raised concerns about the fairness of the process. The OSCE/ODIHR final report stated that candidates were generally able to campaign freely, but that the election did not provide a level playing field due to reports of intimidation, misuse of state resources, pressure on public employees, vote-buying, and procedural problems.^[10] Reuters reported that the opposition alleged the vote had been stolen, while Rama's Socialist Party said the result reflected public support for its EU-integration programme.^[9]

Corruption and public procurement

The Balluku case made public procurement a central controversy of the Rama IV Government. Reuters described the investigation as a probe into corruption at the heart of the government, with prosecutors alleging that public tenders for the Llogara Tunnel and Tirana Outer Ring Road were manipulated to favour specific companies.^[15] Balluku denied wrongdoing, and Rama criticised some judicial measures against cabinet officials as overreach.^[14] The case triggered several opposition protests in late 2025 and early 2026.^[16][5]

Flamingo Revolution and anti-government protests

In June 2026, the government faced nationwide protests known as the Flamingo Revolution. The demonstrations began after work started near a proposed luxury resort project backed by Jared Kushner near Sazan Island and the Vjosa–Nartë Protected Landscape, an ecologically sensitive area that includes habitats for flamingos, seals and sea turtles.^[6][17] Environmental organisations and local residents opposed the project on ecological and property-rights grounds, while protesters accused the government of lack of transparency, favouritism toward foreign investors and misuse of public land.^[6][7]

The protests quickly developed beyond opposition to the resort into a wider anti-government and anti-corruption movement. Reuters reported that demonstrators gathered outside the prime minister's office with flamingo symbols, chanted "revolution", displayed placards reading "Edi Rama, resign", and accused corrupt politicians of deciding the fate of Albania's property and natural heritage.^[6] In a later report, Reuters said protesters were also expressing broader grievances over Rama's 13 years in power, corruption and poor public services, with one student saying the demonstrations were "not only for biodiversity but for every injustice we face" and would continue until Rama resigned.^[17] Le Monde similarly described the movement as both environmental and anti-corruption, reporting that its demands had expanded to include Rama's resignation and that activists viewed the project as a symbol of an oligarchic system and of the prime minister's style of rule since 2013.^[7]

Rama defended the development, saying it would modernise Albania and that environmental assessments would be carried out. He also dismissed some of the criticism as politically or externally motivated.^[17] The European Commission warned Albania to align with EU environmental law, stating that actions undermining regulatory alignment could affect Albania's EU accession path.^[18] On 20 June 2026, the Financial Times reported that tens of thousands of people had joined one of Albania's largest protests in recent years, and that the movement had widened from environmental objections into broader anger over corruption and elite control of public land.^[8]