Do we like them?

Do we like Edi Rama?

Our score: 5 out of 10. Complicated and thinly checked: real controversy around his government, but we couldn't open the full reporting to weigh it properly.

Here's the honest bit first: the tools we use to read full articles were blocked while we researched Edi Rama, so this column leans on headlines and search summaries, not the full body copy. Treat it as a first look, not the final word.

The big story this year is a corruption probe at the heart of his government. Search summaries of the reporting say Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku was indicted over suspected corruption. That is an allegation, not a finding, and we haven't seen the outcome.

The street has been loud about it. Al Jazeera ran footage in February of protesters shooting fireworks at the prime minister's office, and summaries of other reports describe tear gas, water cannon and further clashes through the year. Rama has reportedly said he won't resign and that governments are changed through elections.

In June he sat down with AP to defend a luxury tourism development linked to Jared Kushner. Critics tie the protest movement to that project, and Rama's side disputes the corruption claims. Where you land depends on whether you read the deal as investment or as a favour to powerful friends.

On the harm check, the main thing we found is the migrant deal he signed with Italy's Giorgia Meloni in 2023. Activists in Tirana marked its two-year anniversary with protests in November 2025, calling the centres immigration prisons. His defenders say it repays a debt to Italy. On LGBTQ+ issues, summaries describe activists calling his support more rhetoric than action, but we couldn't open that reporting.