Grandfather and granddaughter who sacrificed themselves for 'Enver'

Alfred Lela

There are some morbid similarities between Belinda Balluku, the current Deputy Prime Minister, and Beqir Balluku. Of course, apart from the grandchild-grandfather blood relationship.

First, both [apparently] ended their careers as Deputy Prime Ministers of Albania. Beqir Balluku was arrested and imprisoned as Mehmet Shehu's deputy and was later sentenced to be shot as a 'traitor to the Party'.

The second charge, Beqiri, like his niece, was accused, among other things, of "embezzlement of [socialist] property in large proportions and abuse of official position". The charge of abuse of office and embezzlement of millions also weighs heavily on Belinda.

The third implication is the lack of completion of school. Beqiri started the Technical School, but did not finish it, supplementing it after coming to power with another school, the Military Academy in Moscow. One of the never-rejected allusions to Belinda is that she does not have a university degree.

Another point where grandfather and granddaughter meet is the number of roles they played in their respective regimes. The first under Enver Hoxha, as chairman of the Internment and Deportation Committee, Minister of Defense, member of the Politburo, etc. The second under Edi Rama, from the time when she was in the Municipality of Tirana, in the Civil Aviation Authority and then minister, deputy prime minister, and head of several regions.

After being shot on November 5, 1974, Balluku was buried in Vranisht, Vlorë, to be 'repatriated' to Tirana after the fall of communism. Note: the wiretapping dossier that seems to be sinking Balluku was also published on November 5 [2025]. 

Don't forget the other one: The same area, not Vranishti, but Dukati, where the Llogara tunnel was built, seems to be the political 'grave' of Belinda Balluku.

Lastly, the grandfather and granddaughter will likely have the fate of death, one, and arrest and prison, the other, while their bosses will both die in bed and unharmed. We don't know about Rama yet, but this was the case with Enver Hoxha.

Morbid as they are, especially these last affiliations, they and others nevertheless speak, at length and at length, about the nature of power in Albania. It is always pyramidal and rewards only those at the top of the pyramid, while punishing others around or below them. In a way, these are also the blood or sacrifice for power to live. Like Hoxha, like Rama, they did not hesitate to bury many of their close associates to build and maintain the pyramid at the top of which they were. The instrument and the context do not matter, Sigurim and the popular trial, or SPAK and the media trial. In the end, the proportion is there, cold and irrefutable. The other numbers, whether with noise or silence, have fallen, but the 1s have remained until the end, using the political 'bones' of others for their inheritance and power.

According to documents from the time, Beqir Balluku did not speak before the firing squad, even though he admitted guilt, that is, 'hostile activity'.

Bela has shown signs of resistance so far, but she has not yet clearly seen the forms of punishment. Still clad in layers of power, she can resist until the shadow of the 'guillotine' appears very close and full, blocking her view and taking her breath.

What will Belinda Balluku do then? Will she take her 'Enver' with her, or will she silently admit her guilt, go to prison, and become another sucker of the tribe who sacrifices herself for the pharaoh and the 'ideal of the Party'!?