TIRANA, March 22, 2022 – Lulzim Basha has resigned as leader of Albania’s main opposition Democratic Party after holding the post for almost nine years and leading the party to repeat losses in elections.
The resignation comes as the party is deeply divided into competing factions, and it became clear the faction Basha led had little support left among party members.
“Unfortunately, my attempt to keep the DP united did not succeed,” Basha told a meeting of the party’s formal leadership. “I have decided to take a step back by resigning from the task of the chairman of the Democratic Party, purposeful and determined to help the resurrection and unification of the Democrats and the Democratic Party as the only hope for Albanians.”
Following a humiliating defeat in local by-elections two weeks ago, Basha had faced calls to resign even by MPs that were previously loyal to him, which left him little room to maneuver, political analysts said.
Deputy chairman and head of the DP parliamentary group Enkelejd Alibeaj has been made acting chairman, according to the party’s general secretary.
International representatives and partners greeted Basha’s decision and highlighted the need for Albania to have a united and strong opposition.
A transition period is now likely to be in place as the factions decide how to hold elections for the next chairman.
Sali Berisha, the party’s historic leader and the leader of the now dominant faction, has made it clear he intends to take over again when the party votes for a new chairman.
“The only solution is to unite by returning to allow a free vote,” Berisha’s group said in a statement.
However, some in the party who were previously loyal to Basha or neutral have called on Berisha to withdraw from the race and give other candidates a chance to move the party forward.
DP has seen months of internal turmoil following the loss of the April 25, 2021 general elections for an unprecedented third time. Shortly after the elections, the U.S. State Department publicly designated Berisha, who had not held public office since 2013, as involved in “high-level corruption.”
Basha announced in September that Berisha would be expelled from the DP parliamentary group. The decision led to Berisha launching a comeback movement within the ranks of the Democrats against Basha, but Basha opponents were unable to legally dislodge the incumbent from the party’s headquarters. An attempt to do so by force turned into ugly scenes of violence earlier this year.
Berisha and Basha held competing party assemblies, purging each other from the party. The changes in the competing assemblies are pending approval by courts.
But by-election on March 6 clearly showed that Basha’s faction had less electoral support than Berisha’s, which ran under another banner, leading to even the most loyal MPs seeking Basha’s resignation.
