Author: Marcel Vocaj
The recent changes in the law that regulates the activity of the Guard of the Republic have caused debates in the field of security. The changes proposed by deputy Nasip Naço eliminate the traditional system of promotion based on meritocracy within the institution, replacing it with a basic requirement for 10 years of experience in the field of security or public order. Critics argue that the change undermines the professional growth of long-serving members of the Guard, while others see it as a move toward increased political influence.
On March 1, sudden changes in Law on the Guard, ranging from the increase of staff to the criteria for the name of the head of the Guard, were submitted to the Assembly by the deputy of the majority, Nasip Naço.
"Before making these proposals, I have seen how the Guard of the Republic is organized in Greece, in Serbia, in Italy, in France, in Croatia and in some other countries, to see the models of how it is attached, how the leaders are elected , the criteria and competences they have in this regard."
This is how MP Nasip Naço ended his speech, after proposing the changes in Law on the Guard of the Republic of Albania.
Previously, the senior head of the Guard came from within the institution itself, and the main criteria for his appointment were: Albanian citizenship; experience as an employee of the Guard and having the rank of "First Manager" or "Senior Manager"; the absence of severe, disciplinary measures within the last 3 (three) years and the absence of conflict of interest.
However, as of March 21, it was decided that the head of the Guard will be appointed through a competition, and for potential candidates the only necessary criterion is work experience of no less than 10 years in the field of order or security.
Can a working person run for the position of General Director of the Guard? security?
With the draft law approved in the Assembly, on 21.03.2024, and entered into force on 1 May 2024, after its publication in Official Journal, the criterion of ranks and professional growth within the institution of the Guard of the Republic of potential candidates for leaders of this institution has fallen and 10 years of work experience is now enough, a change that for security experts is an absurdity.
Security expert Fatjon Softa is skeptical.
"The rank is being removed as a qualifying level to be appointed and a criterion is being established, where it is enough to have 10 years of work, who knows the security sector, so, not only in the Guard, it is enough to have been in the State Police, in Prison Police, you may have been in a private security company. I don't know how they classify that 10 year period and the race is wide open. Anyone can compete and then it is the Minister of the Interior who determines, let's say, the most suitable person and proposes to him, the Prime Minister," he says.
Under the old law to reach these ranks, a Guardsman who had started his career with the lowest rank – inspector – it took him 29 years of career to reach his potential position Leaders of the Guard. But, with the new changes, even the candidate with the rank First Inspector can be catapulted to the head of this institution.
Answering the questions of deputy Alibeaj at the meeting of the National Security Committee in the Assembly, Mr. Naço said that, "the criteria that we have defined are also in the current law, so if you read carefully who is employed in the Guard of the Republic, we have set this as a criterion for the director of the Guard, that is to have 10 years of experience in the field of order and security."
In this meeting, the opposition MP, Alibeaj, accused the leftist colleagues of politicizing the Guard.
"Not the people with ranks, not the people with a career, not the people who have militated within the structure! (A) do they not deserve to be in charge of the Guard? (Or should) someone else from outside for the sake of competition or, as you call it, competition? This, in fact, is nothing more than a legal initiative, which seeks to politicize the leadership of the Guard more than it has been politicized. Open the door, the narrow path, through which you enter people who have the party's blessing, the political blessing, and this is the politicization of the Guard", - it is written in the minutes of the meeting.
ACQJ asked for an opinion from Mr. We asked about the minimum criteria, which were the starting point of the proposed changes, but we did not receive an answer.
The new guard with accusations of presetting names
"This was not done on the basis of meritocracy, this was done by being X's nephew or Y's son, or so-and-so's friend. This is not dignified", says Reshat Lloji, with the rank of colonel, but retired from the Guard in 2006.
He adds that he has also heard the name of the new director, who will [be predetermined] to lead the institution.
"The law, which has been, has been more concrete, because the commander of the Guard was proposed by the prime minister and the president and came from the ranks and from the career within the Guard."
Mr. Lloji says that within the Guard there are people who are quite capable and skilled for this position.
"There are guys I know who meet all the criteria to be in charge and who can very well perform the task, unlike someone who comes from abroad and who does not know the nature of the service, does not know the activities of the Guard .”
ACQJ requested comment from the Guard of the Republic and the Ministry of Justice, who refused to comment on this bill.
Regarding the credibility of potential candidates, expert Softa raises a concern about the security certificate.
"The security certificate came as a result of a job, that is, a mountain of work, and it cannot be replaced so easily by a certificate of reliability," he says.
The Guard is no longer what it was for Colonel Reshat Llojin.
"A real Guard should protect the high officials of the state, without being dependent. There are no more Guards here. The name Guard should be removed, because the ranks have been released, the duties have been released to the police structures, almost everything has changed here. There is nothing left, so it's better not to call it the Guard anymore, but the State Police department," he says.
During the plenary session, in which the amendments to Law on the Guard of the Republic, there was also a debate between the chairman of the opposition parliamentary group, Gazment Bardhi, and deputy Nasip Naço, whom he accused of using the new law for personal interests.
"The law, dear colleague, was commissioned by the oligarch Shefqet Kastrati, to appoint the citizen Ermal Onuzi as the new director of the Guard. You have brought here the law of an oligarch, to make a cousin of this oligarch, who has a first and last name, director of the Guard.
The law passed the Parliament with 73 votes in favor and 23 against.
On June 11, the Ministry of the Interior opened the call for applying for the position of General Director of the Guard of the Republic, leaving only 15 days for all potential applicants to submit the required documentation. Beyond a multitude of necessary documents, a key point in the evaluation of candidates will also be Personal platform of the applicant's goals and objectives, through which it answers 18 questions, which can be summed up in one: What is the vision and what are the steps to be taken for the fulfillment of objectives?
Beyond allusions to potential persons, predetermined for the open position, beyond the very favorable coincidence in the dates of the resignation of the old director of the Guard of the Republic, submission of the proposal, approval in Parliament and entry into force, beyond the basic criteria, in the fields others would not allow a candidate to take even a middle management position, beyond the very short deadline left available to potential candidates to submit complete documentation for the selection procedure, the main question that remains unanswered is: With the changes in the law, what prompts today a young man to join the ranks of the Republic Guard or a career officer to seek professional growth?
This article is part of the Investigative Journalism Laboratory project, which is financially supported by the Public Relations Office of the US Embassy in Tirana. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of State.
