From Ardi Stefa/ The opposition cannot take power in the current conditions...

2024-09-22 09:41:00, Politikë CNA

Ardi Stefa

The opposition is a serious matter, of serious and sincere people in front of the people

It is known that the result of the elections of April 2021 and May 14, 2023 has created a sharp political asymmetry in the country between a dominant party in power and an extremely weak official opposition and other opposition fragments that emerged from it.
The consequences of this asymmetry are obvious.

On the one hand, the ruling majority continues to demonstrate an arrogant attitude towards key legislative institutions; control and accountability of the executive (see, for example, periodic reports of ISP, other independent institutions or statements of embassies); an arrogant attitude towards the opposition, and, at the same time, unilateral decision-making regarding particularly serious issues. Added to these are the placement of people with questionable qualifications in government positions or lists for future MPs, despite their studies in Oxford and Cambridge, (non) communicative management of chronic pathologies, etc.

On the other hand, the official opposition is almost disbanded, and, so far, has not shown that it can rise above itself and be a credible alternative for taking power.

From September 9, 2021 until today, but especially in the last year, we are experiencing tragicomic situations, which prove how incapable and unprepared we are for democracy.
An official opposition hostage to selfishness and inability to reform, that expects society to change its behavior towards it and not society towards society; without new ideas, consumed in rhetoric and personalized to one man; internationally isolated, with the leader under house arrest, already accused of corruption and indicted; with the only causes: "the release of the president and the technical government"; divided into seven pieces, or even more; with traditional allies, who have historically drunk the blood of today's opposition, but who are waiting to see what will happen in the division of seats in the lists for parliament - are the appearance of the opposition today.

In this state, therefore, which is the opposition, no effective pressure can be exerted on the actions of the government. Popular support for the government may drop dramatically from the 2021 elections onwards, however, a significant proportion of citizens are looking for an alternative government and prime ministerial proposal and are not finding it. Especially they don't find it in today's opposition. The director of ISP, political scientist Afrim Krasniqi, rightly says: "The current opposition is the "greatest achievement" of the government and the most precious gift for it."

The responsibilities of the opposition parties are obvious, but certainly not equal. The main responsibility lies with the Democratic Party and its leader. The formation and exercise of a responsible opposition is a serious matter and a necessary condition for smooth democratic functioning.

Every emergence of new leaderships and every proposal of particular political positions, regardless of their more specific ideological sign (center-right, right-wing, centrist, left-wing or far-left), must first of all inspire the electorate Albanian opposition credibility and conviction that there really is a plan to go from 1 to 2.

But the official opposition proves day by day that it is incompetent, without a strategy for taking power and not knowing how to overthrow today's majority. Its articulation is not serious, but with reminiscences of the years 1996 and 1997, the lack of real causes for the Albanians, the lack of a concrete program, the lack of real openness in society, cause it to fall into the trap of the position, ending up in reasoning and brawl

The demand for the unification of all opposition forces in a single anti-systemic front is unfeasible and unrealistic.

The lack of popular support for the opposition is getting bigger and bigger, now that they are familiar with the fabulous wealth of their idols and the protest squares are becoming more and more empty.

The lack of support of the electorate towards the opposition increases when they see the unification of votes with the majority, simply for their interest, criminal amnesty, closed lists for the president's loyalists, the fight against meritocracy and Justice!

The lack of support for the opposition becomes even greater when they see that it simply insults and denounces and does not reveal a governing program, does not demonstrate the will for essential reforms, in health, education, in dealing with social-economic inequalities, poverty, high prices and depopulation, as well as institutional consolidation. A political program for the future of the country cannot but also include specific proposals for the political system and the fight against corruption or the electoral system, in order to reduce the dependence of politicians on interests (the president or the oligarchs).

Today's opposition does not have the sole task of taking power, because in the current conditions, it cannot take it. Today's opposition has the duty to gradually raise their spirits, to convince the people, to be a mirror where the position can see itself and for as long as it is in power to try to correct it. The opposition has the duty to see the mirror of the position and not to behave like it, but to change, to fundamentally reform, not only with human resources, but also in behavior, attitude and, especially in action.

That's why I'm skeptical of voices that demand the union of all opposition forces, right, center-right and left, populist, all anti-systemic forces, all anti-Rama & Berisha & Meta forces.

Because their union will be mechanical, unstable, not ideologically and programmatically based and, even if they come to power, they will hardly maintain coexistence with internal ideological and programmatic contradictions.

But anyone in the opposition space must be seriously prepared to have the moral value and weight to carry out a difficult task: to convince the citizens that they really offer a credible alternative. Otherwise, there is a risk that the opposition will always be the opposition and the average of our political system will be even lower than it is at present...