Albania's prime minister hopes to win reelection this weekend so he can work on making one of Europe's poorest countries a "champion of tourism."
The negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Albania's economy is a key issue in Sunday's parliamentary election, which the European Union has made a condition of starting full negotiations to admit the small Balkan nation as a member. Irregularities have marred previous elections in post-communist Albania.
Durres has been transformed into a destination for ferries, yachts and pleasure boats. Photo / Elion Jashari, Unsplash
Incumbent Prime Minister Edi Rama cited a new international airport that opened Sunday, a construction agreement reached Monday for another airport on the country's 200-mile-long coastline, and plans to turn its main cargo port of Durres into a destination for only ferries, yachts and other pleasure boats as a promising sign.
"We are on the right path to transform this country into the Western Balkans champion for tourism" Rama said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.
Pre-election polls have shown Rama's left-wing Socialist Party is likely to place first in the election.
Edi Rama the Artist turned PM, has grand designs for his country. Photo / AP
Albania attracted more than 6 million tourists in 2019, when tourism accounted for about 9% of gross domestic product. Preliminary 2020 figures from the Tourism Ministry show at least a 40% decline in tourism revenue, attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. An overnight curfew, social distancing rules and other virus-control measures ordered by the government have mostly affected hotels, restaurants and cafes.
As part of the country's mass vaccination program, the government has given priority for shots to hotel and restaurant workers, as well as the operators of private homes rentals along the coast or in mountain resorts.
After previous complaints about a delay, Rama thanked the European Union's executive arm for donating 145,000 vaccine doses to Albania. Albania launched its vaccination drive with a half-million shots developed in China.
'These are the goals.' The Albanian PM has unveiled big plans for the country post Covid. Photo / Elion Jashari, Unsplash
Brussels gave the green light to Albania and North Macedonia late year for the launch of full membership negotiations, but no date has been set for the first meeting.
Joining the EU remains Albania's main goal, Rama said.
"The integration process...is a process of overcoming obstacles. We have no other choice. We have to continue and fight and be there, and we will," he said.
Albania saw a 3.31% drop in GDP in 2020 due to the pandemic and a fatal magnitude 6.4 earthquake in November 2019 that caused significant damage.
The next steps for the country are "leaving behind the pandemic and the earthquake consequences and bringing Albania up," the prime minister said.
"We want to be the champions in tourism. We want to be the champions in energy. And we can (be) in agritourism for sure," Rama said. "We need to go further. And these are the goals."
Post-Corona, is Albania Europe's new travel hotspot? Photo / Rens Art, Unsplash
Who is Edi Rama?
The artist and politician is a colourful character who became Albania's 33rd prime minister on a campaign of bright visions.
In the late 1990s Rama fled to France to become a painter, where enjoyed some success and notoriety as a political exile. However in 2000 he returned and successfully ran for mayor of the Albanian capital Tirana.
With this bigger canvas mayor won turned 'ugly and depressing' soviet-era buildings into brightly painted artworks. The gesamtkunstwerk was the beginning of a popularity drive not only among Albanians, but also tourists who were drawn to the quirky ex-communist state.
He has since had solo exhibitions in New York and huge international interest in his work.
Although some have argued that the populist leader has used his position to benefit his profile as an artist - Rama claims the artworks area public good.
"It had a chain effect I didn't imagine. Once the buildings were coloured, people started to get rid of the heavy fences of their shops. In the painted roads, we had 100% tax collection from the people, while tax collection was normally 4%. People accepted to pay their share for the city, because they realised that through the colours the city exists," he told the Guardian, when asked about his painted city.
Painted city, PM Rama has transformed Tirana through public art policies. Photo / Wikimedia Commons
It is part of painting over the country's Soviet bloc past. Though the Socialist Party, of which Rama is leader, that the change is more than superficial.
Eventually Rama was elected to the office of prime minister in 2013, hoping to expand a colourful vision for the country on the edge of Europe.
While the country has been rejected - twice - from EU membership for electoral irregularities. Still the Albanian government has focused on a mini-Schengan agreement, allowing free movement to EU passport holders, and building a second international airport.
While Europe remains skeptical about full membership the populist painter has shown a bigger picture for the country as a tourism hub.
