In his first day in office, Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj appreciated the job done by Saimir Tahiri, but from the priorities he put forward it was clear he intended to correct what his predecessor had done.

Xhafaj state the war on cannabis will be the priority of his job.

“Our challenge is to take Albania out of the list of cannabis cultivating countries. No good comes from cannabis cultivation for any citizen or the country. There will be more people in the terrain rather than in the offices. No compromise will be made with the traffickers or their accomplice in the police or anywhere else”, Xhafaj said.

Unlike Tahiri, who was accused of politicizing the State Police, Xhafaj asked for neutrality from the effectives during the electoral process.

“The neutrality of police is expected by all the international factors. The neutrality will be maximally respected. Any violation of the law will be punished. The elections belong to the citizens, the police belongs to the citizens, so no deviation from the law will be tolerated”, Xhafaj stated.

What caught the eye was Haki Çako’s marginalization from the ceremony. Director General of the State Police and close collaborator of Saimir Tahiri did not speak during the ceremony, except for the moment when he invited Premier Edi Rama to take the floor.