Berisha counterattacks Rama

TIRANA, Aug 31 – Prime Minister Sali Berisha, leader of the governing Democratic Party and winner of the June 28 parliamentary poll, on Monday directly attacked the leader of the main opposition Socialist Party, Edi Rama. Berisha accused Rama of working to prevent Albanians from getting the visa free regime only for personal interests.
Berisha was commenting on the convention of the opposition Socialists held last weekend where they introduced accusations of alleged vote manipulation during the poll.
Berisha said that there was no verified allegation and that the June 28 poll was the best ever held in the country.
However, he repeatedly turned to say that he was telling Rama that his efforts to stop Albanians from getting the new visa regime next year will fail.
Berisha said that the Socialists would make a great mistake to boycott the new parliament and they were only being exploited by the personal interests of their leader.
But the prime minister also assured his supporters he would remain in power for the next 12 years and more. Ironically Berisha said that together with Meta they would be successful in the next elections up to 2021.
Hours earlier his leftist coalition ally, Ilir Meta, had said they would again be in coalition with the Democrats for the 2013 elections, an interesting statement coming now as it did. Berisha and Meta have agreed to create a coalition that will have enough seats in the 140-seat parliament to pass most of the laws and the cabinet.
Berisha said that negotiations regarding the new cabinet would be concluded this week (before Monday’s opening session of the parliament) starting with Meta’s LSI and then his – Berisha’s – allies in the winning coalition.
That will not be an easy task.
After the opening session the parliament will get to know the new premier, Berisha, and the new premier will introduce his cabinet and his programme within ten days.
Berisha declined to say whether he had already decided on new cabinet members. He only said the number of ministries would not change. There are going to be 14 ministries to be added with the vice premier and the premier. Later he also said the 14 names would be ready by the end of the week.
That may push one to remember the rumors that LSI’s Meta is going to have the post of the foreign minister and that of the vice premier.
“I do not know the names myself yet,” said a smiling Berisha.
Albanians will learn them at the end of the week and next week they will almost certainly have the new government.
A visa free regime and integration into the European Union remain the main concerns for the new cabinet.
Albania is expecting an evaluation report for the June 28 polls and then the European Union is to make its annual progress report, which is expected to be affected by the first one.