A stormy session of Albania’s parliament descended into chaos on September 18 when opposition lawmakers disrupted Prime Minister Edi Rama’s presentation of what he said is the world’s first artificial-intelligence government minister.

Rama had planned to use the sitting to outline his new government’s programme and introduce “Diella”, an AI-generated virtual cabinet member whose name means sun in Albanian. 

Appearing on a large screen dressed in traditional Albanian costume, Diella was billed as minister of state for artificial intelligence and an important part of Rama’s drive for “transparency and innovation” as the Balkan country seeks European Union membership by 2030.

But opposition MPs banged their fists on desks and shouted over the prime minister, forcing the speaker to suspend the debate after just 25 minutes.

“This new mandate is our great state exam,” Rama told lawmakers, according to a government statement. “Albania 2030 in the EU is the headline of this mandate. European Albania is the guiding compass of every page of our program and the metronome of the rhythm of every reform we will undertake.”

Rama argued that Diella would “exert a decisive influence” in speeding up legislation and fighting corruption. “Albania is the only country in the region that is successfully using artificial intelligence to accelerate legislation with the EU,” he said. “The introduction of artificial intelligence in the service of good governance, anti-corruption and accelerated socio-economic progress will be an undivided priority of all ministries and agencies of the country.”

The virtual minister, he added, would be backed by a new “AI 4” accelerator designed to recruit talent from inside Albania and the diaspora. “It will build companies that can create significant value for Albania and motivate more Albanians to start their own ventures, creating a self-generating cycle of innovation,” Rama said.

Repeatedly interrupted by jeers and desk banging, the prime minister scolded the opposition: “It is none of our business what you do and what you say outside this hall, but in this hall and out of respect for your constituents, you will have all our attention and all the time you want if you will forget about using your body, hands, feet as an argument … Otherwise, our presence here will last as long as a voting process. Keep this in mind!”

Opposition MPs dismissed the unveiling as a stunt and a cover for graft. “The head of narcos today humiliated the Albanian parliament and the Albanians,” opposition MP Flamur Noka wrote on Facebook, accusing Rama of trying to “steal taxpayers’ money without being held legally responsible”. He called the event “a historical humiliation of the sovereign” and “a collective madness … the games of the most attention-seeking prime minister the world has known”.

The disruption reflects the deep mistrust between Rama’s Socialist Party, which won a fourth term in June, and a fragmented opposition that accuses him of eroding democratic norms.