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Who lost and who won?

2025-05-22 13:48:00, Politikë Frida Mavriqi

Everyone talks about the result. Who won, who lost, how many votes this or that person received. But very little is said about what this race really was and how far Albania is from an electoral process that resembles democracy, not a rigged game.

On the ground, we saw no competition. We saw pressure on ordinary people. We saw phone calls coming from government offices to guide the vote. We saw aid distributions, last-minute jobs, offers that cannot be refused because living has become impossible. And then, we all sat in front of the counting screens for days on end to watch the result as if everything was “okay.” But it wasn’t.

We saw a politicized election administration, a count filled with tension and a struggle for transparency. We also saw citizens who no longer trust, who voted without conviction, or who did not vote at all, because they feel surrendered. And this is the most serious: collective surrender in the face of a system that never changes.

There are those who say “this is politics.” No! This is not politics.

This is manipulation, control, and institutional rape of free will. To accept this as “reality” is to become part of it.

If we had a real process, maybe we wouldn't have won either. Maybe the result wouldn't have been much different. But we would have accepted it with dignity, because justice is not measured by the victory of a party, but by the fairness of the competition.

There can be no change in this country without free elections. Without a depoliticized electoral administration. Without a system that does not buy the hunger, fear, or poverty of the people. And until then, every electoral process is simply a formality to legitimize power that comes not from votes, but from fear and bargaining.

We have not lost the votes. We have lost an opportunity for Albania to take a step forward. But it will not be the last. And we will not remain silent. Because there is no democracy without a free vote. And there is no free vote without a fight for it.