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Prime Minister Rama's 'tragic protagonism' after Erion Veliaj's arrest

2025-02-20 13:44:00, Politikë CNA

"Emotional manipulation"

Rama's narrative regarding Veliaj's arrest was filled with terms intended to arouse emotion and touch the public's sensibilities, while ignoring the facts or evidence of the investigative file.

In this regard, Rama portrayed prosecutors as 'heartless', having 'prevented a mother from taking her child to kindergarten', or stopped a father on the street with 'a child in a stroller'.

The emphasis on these examples shows, according to psychoanalyst Demi, how Rama "is trying to change the framework of interpreting events."

“Instead of the public seeing the investigation or even the arrest as a legal matter for alleged corruption, Mr. Rama tries to shift the focus towards human injustice, presenting SPAK in the eyes of the public as ruthless,” he told BIRN.

“The mention of children aims to activate the universal symbolism of children as innocent beings, evoking emotional reactions in the audience as children are a universal symbol of innocence, and their mention creates an emotional connection with the audience,” he added.

Even for Mërtir, the goal is precisely the emotional manipulation of the public, preventing them from seeing the broader picture of the events surrounding the accusations leveled against Veliaj.

"The inclusion of the family, especially children, in the rhetoric of victimization is something frequent, encountered by those who seek to place children as a barrier to public anger, and children are always a rhetorical object that arouses sensitivity and through them, the speaker manages to touch the audience to make them feel empathy for the person he seeks to protect," analyzes Mërtiri.

'The tragic protagonist'

Edi Rama has always been a controversial figure in Albanian politics and has managed to portray himself for a very long time far from the costume of the ordinary politician, which according to psychological analysis seems to have been intentional.

He entered politics in 1998 as Minister of Culture in the government of Fatos Nano, where the newcomer from Paris stood out with his colorful clothes, red socks, and impatience, even aggressiveness, to change things according to his tastes and goals.

In the analysis of the traits that distinguish him from other politicians, the communication style that suits the image he has created for himself as a "non-politician" prevails.

According to Neli Demi, this metaphorical language was used by Rama to create for himself the image of a "tragic protagonist" who faces evil.

“Unlike Berisha, who uses direct and confrontational language, or Veliaj, who prefers a more technocratic and PR-friendly approach, Rama has a more complex and theatrical style and thus he creates a parallel reality, where he is the artist fighting against chaos, a kind of tragic protagonist who must deal with the “ignorance” and “injustice” of institutions that misunderstand or target him,” says Demi.

From Mërtir's sociological perspective, Edi Rama is a politician who most clearly reflects all the traits of a leader who relies entirely on 'manipulation of crowds'.

"Rama presents eloquence to aesthetically camouflage the vulgarity of the message he conveys," said Mërtiri, taking as an example the stylistic devices he uses such as: Kadri, kazan, tëmpë, sahan, tepsi.

Mërtiri also portrays Rama with the features of a totalitarian leader who speaks the language of the crowd, responding to its most characteristic traits.

"Thus, Rama poses before the crowd as a strong, determined leader, capable of facing any intrigue and conspiracy. He appears in the profile of a political gangster," he concluded./ Reporter.al