Rhetorical question for a candidate with no chance

2025-10-18 10:27:00, Opinione Ardi Stefa

The candidate who seeks to give citizens a future that he himself does not believe in...

In every election campaign in Albania, besides the sea, the mountain, some hill or building that cannot run, there are always some "candidates" who come out of nowhere, breathe politically for a few weeks and disappear as soon as the last ballot box closes.

This time too, with the local by-elections, the same thing has happened. Several candidates have emerged who, with more "courage" than opportunity, with more ambition for a career or a job, have decided to "challenge the system"...

This time, "independents" who declare that they will bring new life to the city! The only life they usually bring is that of personal illusions inflated more than the balloons of the Kalamaj party.

The "independents" have come onto the scene, with the logo of independence, with the conviction and boast that the people are waiting for them, and with the enthusiasm of people who have not yet understood that people today have so much information that they are no longer deceived, who have not yet understood that the competition is neither a fashion show nor a stunt, but political mathematics.

They say they don't have a party, but behind them are some tired parties that use them as decoration to avoid looking empty. They say they are against the system, but their every public appearance is a free imitation of the system. They say they have no interests, but in the end they end up with a small tender or a public post.

Since their campaign is more about CVs than about victory, below I am asking them some questions, not to get answers, but to understand if they have ever thought about them themselves.

What is your vision for the city, besides the fact that you want to be promoted?

At the end of the term you would never begin, how would you view the city, from a cafe overlooking the sea?

How do you talk about transparency that starts with self-declaration and how will you ensure that every public penny is used responsibly?

Will you publish the municipality's contracts? Or will you be satisfied with publishing a "Thank you for your trust!" status on November 10?

Who finances you, besides self-confidence, optimism and personal ambitions? Are these taxable?

What will you do to stop construction without criteria, but on orders from occult interests?

Will you declare our city a "safe zone for skeptical citizens," meaning you will refute them with work?

How will you clean up the city when you haven't yet cleansed your vocabulary of empty rhetoric?

How will you involve citizens (those who haven't heard you yet) in decision-making, other than a two-click Facebook poll?

Will you ever meet them or will you let them meet you through memes after the election?

How will you make the administration closer to the citizens, when you yourself are not close to anyone, but close to the government?

How will you clean up the city when you haven't yet cleansed your vocabulary of tired political slogans?

Would you agree to resign if the municipality gets involved in some affair, in case some miracle happens and you win?

Who is your team? Or is it a state secret?

And above all: why did you enter this race, when you know that racing is not for you?

The city needs a mayor who knows how to carry the weight of the city, not a figure for decoration on the list of candidates.

The city is not a transit station for personal ambitions, a lack of seriousness, but a city that seeks direction, not noise.

Nor a springboard for the "independents" who are more dependent than party militants, on their egos or the naive idea that voting is a matter of sympathy, not the system.

So, dear candidate, good luck!

Not to win, but to exit the campaign with honor, because in Albania this is also an achievement.

And this is, perhaps, the best luck that can happen to a candidate with no chance./ CNA