Words by Rudina Hajdari
Exactly as modern historians will one day acknowledge this moment as pivotal in the post-Communist history of Albania—our parliamentarians must acknowledge the increasing discontent on the streets of Tirana. The general elections of June 2017 in Albania failed the democratic test through a study that showed that 20% of people that voted admitted that their vote was manipulated.
Albania’s Socialist Party has crafted a dazzling image abroad since 2013. International readers envisage a young and vital government—backed by a young population—whose path to EU membership is characterized by unity and compromise.
In reality no polling metric proves the young to be overwhelming enamored by Rama. On the contrary, 1/3 of the young population want to leave Albania and as a result youth migration has been increasing because of lack opportunities and jobs at home. Discontent with high corruption, increasing poverty and government links to organized crime has led thousands to demonstrate outside of the Prime Minister’s office on January 27th where thousands of young people flooded the streets of Tirana. The opposition is actively denouncing the alarming domestic situation both in the streets and in the parliamentary sessions.
Few would dispute that Prime Minister Edi Rama has acted to improve Albania’s international image—but, the protest, led by the opposition party leader Luzlim Basha, paints the real disappointment at home for the ruling government which has been implicated in the biggest trafficking scandal and has effected Albania’s economy and foreign direct investment.
The street movement led by opposition leader Luzlim Basha of the country’s Democratic Party has grown in support, stature and size since last year. Rama’s failure to account for his former Minister Tahiri who has been vastly accused for his direct involvement in the drug-trafficking, has only bolstered support for the Democratic Party—who realize that European principles can only flourish when former authoritarians linked to criminals are flushed from the corridors of power.
Characteristically indefatigable, PM Rama has even went so far as to praise Tahiri’s reform of the police force—despite Tahiri being the subject of overwhelming domestic and international criticism for allowing cannabis cultivation to flourish in Albania.
A young population, disenchanted by erratic decision-making and ailing transparency in many democratic institutions, believes that reform of a judiciary which has consistently failed its citizens’ democratic rights must depend upon the passage of free and fair elections. Judicial reform is the final pre-requisite necessity for the country of Albania to begin accession talks with the European Union—but this pivotal chapter in my country’s history has still not seen any concrete results.
Many people believe that we cannot entrust this process to a government which is linked to drug-trafficking scandals. A leader who does not proffer any explanation for all ministerial and police dismissals is the wrong leader to enact reforms which will change his citizens’ lives, and this process needs to start with clear heads and clean hands.
As a country which sincerely aspires to join the European Union, we must accept how Tirana’s recent protest does not trust that a government centered around corruption, the illicit drug situation in Albania, and alleged manipulation of voting process in the last general election will score any results in this key year to bring Albania closer to the European Union.
