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The stamp of the DP, the reunification of the right or new parties?

2024-06-14 14:35:00, Politikë CNA

The stamp of the DP, the reunification of the right or new parties?

Sali Berisha

This decision of the Court of Appeal in Albania resolved the deadlock created for about two years between the right-wing parties, on the issue of the party's seal, but left behind a question mark on their future fate. Afrim Krasniqi, head of the Institute for Political Studies in Tirana, told "Deutsche Welle" that the Appeal decision made it clear who the opposition is and who has the right to represent it. But according to him, this poses the challenge to the "Reestablishment" group to change and reform, so that they are ready to face the 2025 parliamentary elections.

Seal taken – what about faith?

From the window of his apartment on "Mustafa Matohiti" street, where he has been under house arrest since December (2023), the head of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, did not hide his enthusiasm for the recovery of the party's symbols from Lulzim Basha. In front of dozens of his supporters, who gather there every evening, Berisha described this as "the most important victory in history". Further, the leader of the right called on the democrats to join the blue headquarters "to save Albania".

According to political scientist Afrim Krasniqi, despite the victory in the judicial system, Mr. Berisha's situation remains difficult, as does that of the opposition. According to Krasniqi, the main problem is the identification of the political party with the criminal and personal problems of the democratic leader. "The Democratic Party does not talk about reforms, does not have a program, does not present ideas, does not perform the role of constructive opposition. It serves as a support structure for the political leader," the political scientist told DW Shqip. In the conditions where Mr. Berisha is under investigation for corruption and declared "non grata" by two of Albania's allies such as the USA and Great Britain, Krasniqi sees this as a major obstacle to leading Albania in the integration processes.

Reunification or new right-wing formations?

As he hurried to join the meeting with the members of his structure after the Appeal decision, the former chairman of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, called on the democrats not to get upset as their fight "neither started nor continued for logo, for a seal, or for a chair''. Basha concluded the short statement before the journalists by saying that the decision that will be taken further aims to fulfill the objective of the democrats to remove the ruling government.

Flutura Açka, the DP deputy for Elbasan District, part of this formation, claims for "Deutsche Welle" that the discussions within the "Basha" group are still ongoing. "There are people who have been in the Democratic Party for 30 years and to tell them today to make a new party, to start from scratch - it's a bit difficult" - says Açka, although he claims that this alternative has also been presented in table.

From "Reestablishment" it seems that a door will remain open for the right-wingers who want to rejoin the Democratic Party. "Anyone who considers Edi Rama and Erion Veliaj to be political opponents is welcome," MP Kelliçi told DW Shqip. "Even the democrats who think differently from the PD leadership and for many reasons may be confused, have their place in their party" - added Kelliçi. Flutura Açka is of the opinion that the democrats should be left free to choose, while her condition for considering the reunification is the reformation of the right-wing party, a process she claims did not happen during the last 3 years. "New, clean, reliable leadership comes to power. If we turn the liner to the other side, it means that we have done nothing'' - says Açka. "Telling the democrats that you go to Berisha when they have been sitting here not to go to him is somewhat desertion from the point of view of leadership" - she adds further. Professor Afrim Krasniqi finds it impossible to reunify the right in the current conditions. "There will be efforts to create a political force for one function: to ensure the survival of some individuals in this party" - says Krasniqi, "and not to transform into a party that will survive as a competitive force in the situation politics after 2025''.

New political battles?

As next year's parliamentary elections are considered a test for the Albanian opposition, the democratic deputy Belind Këlliçi says that the structures have started preparations for this contest. "The Democratic Party is currently in the process of reorganization and continues its complete restructuring. The DP is preparing the electoral program and the team that will compete in the elections'' - he added, bringing to attention the elections held in different branches of the DP in the country. But according to political scientist Afrim Krasniqi, the elections in 2025 do not promise big surprises for the right, which, according to him, has lost a lot of time with internal clashes, being cut off from the electorate. "In the local elections, we had a record number of citizens who refused to vote for the opposition, not being majority voters," added Krasniqi.
The clash between the two right-wing groups began in September 2021, when the former chairman of the DP Lulzim Basha announced the expulsion of Berisha from the parliamentary group, after the latter was declared "non grata" by the US State Department. On the other hand, Berisha launched a campaign within the democratic party that culminated in January 2022 with a physical confrontation at the blue headquarters./ DW