TIRANA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama decided Wednesday to dismiss all 12 prefects of the country and immediately replace them with 12 new names, all coming from military ranks.
They all comes from high-level ranks of military, however, Rama said that they were not part of the Albanian Armed Forces.
Rama told reporters at a press conference late Wednesday that it was high time for Albania to have a new team of prefects while he didn't give details about reasons leading him to sack all former prefects at once.
While presenting the new prefects, Rama stressed that they would closely cooperate with Albanian ministry of interior in order to lead a tough war against the cultivation of cannabis.
"We have analyzed the performance of this institution throughout the years. Its role will see a big change," the Prime Minister said, appealing for all criminal to be put behind bars.
"We are determined to go after criminal networks and bring them to justice. The role of prefects takes a special importance. They will be responsible in front of the government for the new situation of the territory. They will be informed in real time for all issues.
Establishing public order will require maximal engagement of Prefects, as real-time mediators between the Prime Minister Office and the Interior Ministry," Rama noted.
