Basha and Olldashi campaign to replace Berisha at helm of Democratic Party

TIRANA, July 10 – Lulzim Basha, mayor of Tirana, and Sokol Olldashi, the minister of transport whose mandate ends in September, are conducting a countrywide campaign in their race for the Democratic Party chairmanship.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha resigned from the post of the party leader after conceding defeat in Albania’s June 23 national elections.
The two candidates are now meeting with party members across Albania. Berisha said that the new leader would be elected by a membership vote of the roughly 100,000 party members.
That would be a first for the Democratic Party, created in December 1990.
Berisha has led the party since then, and the most difficult job for the new leader will be how to replace Berisha and his strong personality.
Many say that Basha may be his successor and the one chosen from Berisha to keep the post, due to his close links with Berisha’s family.
Meanwhile there seems a form of difference in the campaign held from the two candidates.
Olldashi is introducing himself as a more conservative leader harshly speaking about the opposing political coalition.
Basha, on his side, is showing himself as a more moderate leader trying to gather party members around him in the fight to come back to power after four years.
The campaign seems very like the one that both these candidates and their party held less than a month ago for the national polls.