TIRANA, March 3, 2023 – Albania’s largest opposition grouping cannot register candidates for the May 14 mayoral elections under the label of the main opposition Democratic Party, according to the effects of an appeals court ruling Friday night.
The appeals court reversed a ruling from a lower court a year ago that recognized former Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his supporters as the legally controlling faction of the party.
The court had to clarify which of the two factions of the Democratic Party will be represented by the logo of the political force in upcoming local elections.
The grouping led by Enkelejd Alibeaj now can choose to run candidates under the DP logo, reverting back to the situation of the byelections of March 6, 2022, when Berisha’s candidates had to run under the House of Freedom coalition registered by allies Freedom Party and Christian Democratic Party.
Byelection results showed the Berisha faction had a strong numeric advantage of the Alibeaj one, but running divided meant it also lost most races to the ruling Socialist Party candidates.
The deadline for the registration of political forces competing in the upcoming elections expires on March 6, and independent observers said the court rulings further hurt the opposition’s chances of picking mayoral seats.
Opposition representatives from the Berisha faction denounced the ruling as “an end of political pluralism.”
“Whatever treachery they try, my name will be on the ballot,” said Belind Kellici, the winner of primary elections to represent the Berisha-led Democratic Party in the elections as a candidate for mayor of Tirana.
-Opposition holds protest rally-
Albania’s opposition held another protest rally against the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday, at the same time as the Tirana Court of Appeal was discussing a ruling to determine the legal leadership of the main opposition Democratic Party.
Opposition representatives at the rally said the court was being blackmailed by Prime Minister Edi Rama who is interested in further dividing the opposition.
A year ago, a lower Tirana court had recognized as legal the National Party Assembly called by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his supporters, as well as the decisions issued by the assembly, which sacked all the structures and leading figures of the party led until that time by Lulzim Basha.
But the decision was appealed by the chairman of the parliamentary group, Enkelejd Alibeaj, who now leads the anti-Berisha faction of the party, which polls and election results show is in the minority.
Mr. Berisha said the protest has nothing to do with the process in the Court of Appeal, where according to him there is no legal basis to recognize Mr. Alibeaj as a party leader.
He added the opposition has started a “peaceful democratic revolution” because according to him “there is no other way to overthrow” Mr. Rama.
“The goal of the revolution is the overthrow of monism based on crime, drugs, theft and the looting of Albanians,” Mr. Berisha said. “Never in history has a man stolen this nation the way Edi Rama stole it with his criminal organization.”
-DP struggling for unity-
DP has seen years of internal turmoil following its previous leaderships’ decision to resign from parliament and boycott the last mayoral elections. It then lost the April 25, 2021 general elections for an unprecedented third time.
Moreover, the U.S. State Department in May 2021 publicly designated Mr. Berisha as an official banned from entering the United States due to involvement in “high-level corruption.” Mr. Berisha maintains the ban was a result of a smear campaign orchestrated by Prime Minister Rama to keep the opposition weak.
Under pressure from U.S. officials, Mr. Basha announced in September 2021 that Berisha would be expelled from the DP parliamentary group. The decision led to Mr. Berisha launching a comeback movement within the ranks of the Democrats against Mr. Basha and taking over the structures and headquarters of the party.
Two groups within Albania’s main opposition Democratic Party have been vying for control. Delegates representing a large portion of the Democratic Party convened in an assembly Dec. 11, 2021, voting to sack the party’s incumbent leadership and approving changes to the party’s constitution.
The delegates represented supporters of the former Prime Minister Berisha and others who say they want change in Albania’s main opposition party, following a string of electoral and political defeats.
They won the right to be legal representatives in court last year, a decision now voided by this week’s ruling.
