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Shehu III Government

Government of the People's Republic of Albania

Third cabinet of Mehmet Shehu Shehu III Government
42nd Cabinet of Albania
Date formed	16 July 1962 (1962-07-16)
Date dissolved	14 July 1966 (1966-07-14)
People and organisations
Head of government	Mehmet Shehu
No. of ministers	21
History
Predecessor	Shehu II
Successor	Shehu IV

The Shehu III Government was a government of the Socialist People's Republic of Albania, formed on July 16, 1962, by Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu of the Party of Labour of Albania (PPSh). It succeeded the Shehu II Government and remained in office until July 14, 1966, when it was replaced by the Shehu IV Government.

The cabinet restructuring followed the parliamentary elections on June 3, 1962. There was a significant expansion of the Council of Ministers, including up to three First Deputy Chairmen and – excluding Beqir Balluku's dual role – up to three Deputy Chairmen. Gogo Nushi was the only member from the previous government who did not continue, but he retained significant roles, including in the Trade Union Federation Bashkimi Sindikal i Shqipërisë. Thus, the break with the Soviet Union in 1961 and the approach to China had no impact on the government of Albania.

The cabinet underwent several changes:

• On January 1, 1965, the Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Geology was divided into an Ministry of Industry under Koço Theodhosi (already a Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers) and a Ministry of Agriculture under Pirro Dodbiba.^[1]
• Simultaneously, Abdyl Këllezi was appointed as the third First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers; Adil Çarçani, the former Minister of Industry, Mining, and Geology, became the third Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, succeeding Manush Myftiu, who had been treated abroad for an illness in 1963. Fadil Paçrami succeeded him as the Minister of Education and Culture.
• On January 1, 1966, Kiço Ngjela was appointed as the new Minister of Foreign Trade.^[2]
• Simultaneously, Abdyl Këllezi had to relinquish his position as the First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers; he became the Chairman of the State Planning Commission and a member of the successor government in 1968.
• A major reshuffle took place on March 18, 1966:
  • The remaining two First Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers lost their positions: Beqir Balluku became the new Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Spiro Koleka replaced Koço Theodhosi as the Chairman of the State Planning Commission.
  • Haki Toska became a new member of the government as the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Koço Theodhosi, who had been appointed as the Minister of Industry earlier in the year, retained his position in the government. Therefore, the Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers in the last four months of Cabinet Shehu III were Balluku, Toska, and Çarçani.
  • At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Behar Shtylla was succeeded by Nesti Nase.
  • In the Ministry of Education and Culture, Thoma Deliana replaced Fadil Paçrami, who had been appointed the previous year.

After the rupture with Moscow in 1961, the new Shehu government had to deal with a new reality: the massive support from the Soviet Union and other communist states had ceased, and Albania was politically isolated.

References[edit]

External Links[edit]

• Cabinet Shehu III Archived 2021-08-21 at the Wayback Machine
• Politburo and Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PPSh 1948–1991
• People's Assembly of the Socialist People's Republic of Albania
• Albania: Key Ministries