Edi Rama does not lie when he says he is “playing chess”. The only lie is he’s not telling whom he’s playing with.

He has created the idea his game is versus (President) Ilir Meta, but actually he is playing chess – and what a game it is – with his own party.

I never thought even for a moment that (Interior Minister Nominee) Sandër Lleshi’s non-decreeing was premeditated. That occurred quite by chance. For that reason I was never interested in the debate whether it was or wasn’t constitutional.

This is a debate that leads to nowhere. It does not lead to the President’s dismissal and even less to his elimination like Enver (Hoxha) did with Koçi Xoxe. It doesn’t lead to Ilir Meta’s imprisonment either, the first and only dream of the Renaissance people that have read only this paragraph of (Rama’s) bok Kurbani (The Sacrifice).

This is just Suhur bullshit.

The President set a precedent which would have been even more justified had it been motivated with a constitutional reason rather than with His opinion.

However, a new practice was created which remains in power until there is an exhaustive interpretation by the Constitutional Court. The idea that there are “other instruments” too is just the next Suhur bullshit by the Renaissance.

Edi Rama found himself in front of a new unexpected fact. Having understood he cannot do anything to the President, he decided to use him in the chess game with his own MPs.

Meta is now the “bogeyman” that stands in our way. This new role of his was necessary for Rama to gather the MPs unhappy with the government and Rama’s arbitrary acts with them.

Rama forced the resignation of Xhafaj that was imposed to the deputies as a “success story”, proposed Sandër Lleshi through a tweet and a two-line letter to the President. But he did not ask for his parliamentary group’s opinion. Deliberately, of course!

Finding himself in a difficult position, Rama made the meeting and became “collegial”. But silliness is still there, because it has no sense not to ask the deputies for the minister and ask them about the vice minister.

And the deputies accept it, not because of principles or unlimited support for Rama, but just in spite of Meta. Here we are, the role of the Bogeyman.

Now, with the new role tagged to Meta, Rama will go naturally versus some deeper changes in the government and not only. Meanwhile, the deputies, happy or not, will shut their mouths. They will agree with any proposal ahead of them.

A chess game, isn’t it? But they are playing with themselves and sell it like they are playing versus others.

Meanwhile, with Meta, the Bogeyman of the deputies, he will now cooperate without problems…

*Mr. Ylli Manjani is a former Minister of Justice