From "Made in Albania", to Great Albania/ How feasible are the promises of Sali Berisha and the DP?

2025-05-05 08:09:00, Politikë CNA

From "Made in Albania", to Great Albania/ How feasible are the

Democratic Party Chairman Sali Berisha, as well as the Alliance for a Greater Albania Coalition, have unveiled their electoral program that will lead the country, according to them, to victory after the May 11 elections.

Berisha has described the campaign as a “liberation battle” to overthrow what he calls Edi Rama’s “second dictatorship.” For Berisha, the winning factor is also the fact that the DP has a broad opposition coalition such as the Alliance for a Greater Albania. According to him, on May 11, the DP and its allies will sign the rotation of power.

On the other hand, Berisha has made several promises during his campaign. Berisha has presented a program called “Made in Albania”, which aims to develop Albanian industry, create new jobs and increase exports. He has emphasized that this program will contribute to the growth of the economy and the strengthening of Albanian brands. Berisha has promised the creation of a “Great Albania”, where young people and women will be at the center of development, offering a new alternative to a government that, according to him, has failed in three mandates.

The DP leader, among other things, has promised to increase pensions. He has also promised a consumer card for pensioners and those with low incomes. This program aims to refund VAT on basic foods and provide direct support to those in need.

Berisha has promised to increase the minimum wage to 500 euros and the average wage to 1200 euros. He has also proposed giving an amount of 200 euros to every Albanian citizen to cope with the increase in prices. Berisha has promised a financing of 150-200 million euros per year for the agricultural sector, with soft loans of up to 80% of the interest rate and insurance subsidies of up to 75% of the premium.

Berisha has promised to improve living conditions for citizens, including reducing taxes and increasing investment in infrastructure. Berisha has emphasized in his electoral meetings that his focus is not money or power, but the ambition to change people's lives.

"I have no ambition for power or money, but I have ambition to change the lives of Albanians for the better," declared the leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha.

Socialist leader Edi Rama, on the other hand, has mocked Berisha's promises, calling them empty promises. Among other things, he said, "You can make the sea sour, but you can't cross the ocean," thus reminding the Democrat leader of the fact that he is "non grata" in the US.

The electoral promises of each political force are often formulated to gain political support, but their feasibility depends on several factors such as financial resources, political will, the international context and the current state of institutions. Berisha is following a classic strategy of economic promises, with an emphasis on improving daily life and national recovery. Berisha's strategy is populist, while Rama's is more symbolic and is linked to the EU passport. But the success of these promises, both on the left and the right, depends first of all on the personal credibility of the citizens, who will express their will by voting this May 11./ CNA