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Socialist Party in 365 days/ Victories and failures of the left

2024-01-02 12:30:00, Politikë CNA

Consuming the third mandate at the head of the government and a full mandate in all 61 municipalities of the country, SP managed to reap another success in 2023, with the victory of 53 municipalities in the local elections.

Favored by the disintegration of the PD, the largest opposition force which failed to form an opposition with the government, but focused on the internal conflict, as well as the use of procedural maneuvers, for its non-registration in the elections, the left took over again the majority at the local level.

While the elected socialist mayors in the management of the municipalities consolidated their positions, continuing to hold the same post as before, some of the ministers of the governing cabinet did not have the same luck, who disappointed their leader by losing their positions during 2023.

Local elections

The beginning of 2023, for the leading force in the country, started with "running engine" for the May 14 election campaign. Chief socialist Edi Rama, "not satisfied" with power, concentrated all the capital of human resources and not only, in function of the elections. Initially, he held a round of meetings in most of the country's municipalities, where he convened the Local Assemblies of the SP, with the aim of consulting on the election of candidates for the May 14 local elections. On March 25, 2023, after the SP Presidency Meeting, Rama made public the list of candidates for the 61 Municipalities. This race, for the left, would be a good moment to show its strength in the local government, since there were no real contenders in the 2019 elections.

Socialist Party in 365 days/ Victories and failures of the left

Rama's formation for the May 14 challenge was with 44 candidates seeking to be reconfirmed as Mayor and 17 candidates claiming to win a first mandate. Of these candidates, two of them, Benet Beci and Besian Abazi, were MPs who gave up their seats in Parliament in order to receive a Mayoral mandate.

Although the SP faced a divided opponent in the local elections, as the DP of the stamp led by the then president Komanduar, Enkeled Alibeaj competed with the logo of the DP forcing Berisha to go to the elections under the slogan of the coalition "We win together" with the PL and some other opposition parties, again SP did not leave fate to chance. Prime Minister Rama chose to lead the electoral campaign himself, where he certainly put his figure in focus, even though the race was held for local government. The chief socialist presented himself at every meeting as the Prime Minister, talked about his achievements and the government's, leaving the candidates in the shade. However, this did not prevent them from winning convincingly.

In the May 14 race, the SP managed to secure 53 municipalities, while the coalition of opposition parties "We Win Together" has won in 7 municipalities and the Greek Ethnic Minority Party for the Future in one municipality.

At the national level, the Socialist Party of Albania managed to get 43.11% of the votes for the members of the municipal councils, the coalition "We win together" secured 18.44%, while the Democratic Party of Albania (of the stamp) 7.71% of the votes.

In the elections of May 14, the Socialist Party, in addition to scoring a record result, won for the first time in the city of Shkodra, with Benet Beci, leaving behind the candidate of the "Together We Win" coalition, Bardh Spahinë, with a lead of about 10,000 votes. We remember that Shkodra has always been kept as a blue bastion, but in the spring it made an exception and changed its course.

Editorial/ The announced victory of Rama and the shameless defeat of the opposition
May 14, 20:04

Benet Beci's victory was not the only local precedent. In the Municipality of Himara, the candidate of the Coalition "We win together", Fredi Beiler, won, even though he was imprisoned two days before the elections on the charge of attempted vote-buying. Since then, Beiler has been behind bars, not being able to take the oath and enjoy the mandate he won.

The result of the elections, as has always happened in these 33 years in Albania, was disputed by the opposition, which accused the government of manipulating the elections using all forms, from the use of state assets, to violence and the persecution of voters. .

The victory of the SP, opposed by the opposition, forced the CEC to repeat the elections in the Municipality of Rrogozhina. The opposition coalition and candidate Shkëlqim Hoxha contested a ballot box in Rrogozhina Prison, which overturned the result in favor of the candidate of the ruling Socialist Party, Edison Memolla.

However, Memolla managed to win more convincingly in the repeated elections in this municipality on July 23. But after Rrogozhina, the Municipality of Kukës also had the fate to hold elections again, this after the sexual scandal of the elected mayor at that time, Safet Gjici. Despite the scandal, the SP managed to retain the leadership in the northeastern city with Albert Halilajn. These elections took place on September 24.

The scandal with Rrajat

The scandal with the violence perpetrated by the Rraja tribe against the residents of Borizana, due to the conflict over the quarry and the lack of an immediate police response, have also angered the head of the government, who dismissed the Minister of the Interior, Bledi Çuçi, and appointed this task Taulant Ballan.

Rrahman Rraja hands over the mandate of the deputy/ The name that will replace him is revealed
July 10, 09:48

The Prime Minister's decision came after the resignation of MP Rrahman Rraja and the storm at the Kruja Police Station, where the concealment, manipulation of facts and failure to properly handle the Borizana incident led to the dismissal of the entire police force. Earlier, information circulated in the media that the police in Kruja had connections with the violators and 40 complaints made by citizens were not taken seriously, but were kept in the police drawers. This event happened on July 8.

But these were not the only changes in the ranks of the socialists, as "Pandora's box" had just opened. In the Assembly of the SP held on July 26, by the decision of the chief socialist Edi Rama, the General Secretary Damian Gjiknuri was dismissed from office, being replaced by Blendi Klos, while Rama also found Balla's deputy in the leadership of the Parliamentary Group, precisely Bledi Çuçin, again entrusted with an important post. In this Assembly with closed doors, there were also rumors about other dismissals, it is about the Minister of Finance at that time Delina Ibrahimaj, rumors that materialized months later.

At the meeting of the Assembly of his Socialist Party on September 4, Rama made other changes in his Cabinet./ CNA