Democrats to make a strong opposition

TIRANA – The opposition Democratic Party said they will be a strong opponent to the new leftist Socialist-led government.
The opposition Democrats held a meeting of the new lawmakers to set the lines for the next four years.
The Democrats, who have been in power for the last eight years, also accused the Socialists of stealing the votes, though it was them managing the elections.
The Democrats have 45 lawmakers of their own and together with 12 other ones of their smaller allies their number goes to 57.
The Democrats’ meeting was led from Lulzim Basha, their new leader. Former Prime Minister and leader Sali Berisha stayed on his right together with former Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli.
“Today in an Albania developed due to our governing, we launch a new opposition in front of majority that has been voted based on an old leftist program,” said Basha.
But he also said they will try to make a different opposition.
“We shall not block as Edi Rama did. We shall be promoters starting from the candidate status gain in December. We shall give unconditional consensus for any law or act serving Albania’s integration,” he said.
Basha said that the Democrats would keep a very close and attentive eye to all moves of the new government.
“Our priority will be monitoring the pledges of this government. We shall give not a minute of peace on keeping those promises,” he said.
Edi Paloka was elected as temporary head of the parliamentary group, which also moves him to the post of Basha’s deputy.
But Sokol Olldashi, Basha’s rival for the party’s chairmanship post, again complained on the way and formats that palooka was nominated in the post, claiming the party’s statute was violated again.
Basha was elected as the new chairman of the Democratic Party in July, replacing its long-term leader Sali Berisha.
The Democrats suffered a handy defeat in the June 23 parliamentary elections, with the leftist Socialist-led coalition winning some one million votes, or about 58 percent of the vote.
That was the poorest showing for the Democrats since the party was founded in 1990.