Albania PM Reveals New Cabinet

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced Albania's new government Sunday. For the next four years, 13 ministers will aid him in running the country after his Socialist Party, PS, won an overwhelming majority in the June 25 elections.

The new cabinet has been downsized to 13, 11 of whom will be standard ministers, while two will be without portfolio. The outgoing cabinet contains 19 ministers, with 16 standard ministers and three ministers without portfolio.

In the new one, six ministries will be run by women while seven will be headed up by men.

The new deputy prime minister will be a woman, newly-elected Shkodra MP, Senida Mesi.

After almost two hours long speach in the Socialist Assembly, Rama also made the announcement that he was reshuffling key ministries.

One of the most significant changes he announced was the disillusion of the European integration ministry. A new state ministry to support Albanians living outside the nation's borders was established, to be directed by former Prime Minister Pandeli Majko.

A new state ministry for the protection of entrepreneurs was created, which will be directed by the current head of Agency of Property Return and Compensation, Sonila Qato.

The new team will assume the official mandate in mid-September after the new parliament is constituted.

However, the core of the cabinet did not change in either structure or name. Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati retained the position, while Fatmir Xhafaj remained the minister of the interior, and Arben Ahmetaj held onto the role of minister of finance. This ministry will also supervise the economy.

The ministry of education will still be run by Lindita Nikolla, and it will also absorb the sports and youth ministries. The ministry...