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4 billion lek for Kanye West, Alimehmeti: Rama took Albanians' money for a private concert

Politiko 2026-07-08 09:15:21

4 billion lek for Kanye West, Alimehmeti: Rama took Albanians' money for a

Member of the Democratic Party Presidency, Ilir Alimehmeti, has accused Edi Rama's government of using public funds to cover the costs of a private activity, describing the decision as an abuse of taxpayers' money.

In an interview with Syri TV, Alimehmeti said that a private concert must bear its own financial risk, while criticizing the decision to allocate 4 billion lek from the emergency fund.

According to him, the government had initially stated that it would not finance the activity, but then changed its position without presenting an analysis or economic plan.

"The government's stance until the beginning of June was that we are not spending public money, we have not spent anything here, these are the ones who are doing it and we have only given a few permits. At the moment that public money is not being spent, we are relatively calm. As long as it is a private activity, very well, let it be a private activity. Business takes on the risk and also has the profit. If it has not calculated the risk well, it fails. This is not the state's problem ," declared Alimehmeti.

He also criticized the commitment of government officials to ticket sales, saying that during a time when protests were taking place and the country was facing other problems, the ministers' concern was the smooth running of a private concert.

"While there was a protest outside the boulevard, the Minister of Culture's concern was: not enough Kanye West tickets are being sold. What business does a minister have to worry about whether or not a private business's tickets are being sold?" he said.

According to Alimehmet, the decision becomes even more problematic since the funds were taken from emergencies.

"4 billion lek today is less for the Albanian state to cope with a flood, a landslide, another tragedy," the democrat said.

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