Meta ‘mandated’ to talk to Berisha

TIRANA, July 8 – The Socialist Movement for Integration mandated its leader Ilir Meta to start formally the talks with the winning governing Democratic Party-led coalition of Prime Minister Sali Berisha on forming a new government.
Fighting the economic crisis, the electoral reform, justice and the country’s integration into the European Union were the main topics they said they would focus on.
The party held its convention Tuesday to ask for permission from the coalition to ratify what the leader had agreed upon in principle last weekend.
Berisha’s coalition has allegedly won 70 seats, according to preliminary results, while Meta has four seats.
Opposition Socialists have won 65 seats.
Meta said that the party’s decision was based on the fact it did not want to let the country go deep into a political crisis that could have negative consequences at a time when it has also applied for candidate status to the European Union.
It came out that the deal was made with just one phone call between Berisha and Meta last Saturday.
The convention was a great show of approval for Meta’s decision.
There were only two opposing voices that were shouted down by other participants.
One was the deputy leader, Pellumb Xhufi, a former vice foreign minister, and the other was Fatos Klosi, former head of the secret police during the Socialist government some years ago.
Both said it was a mistake to take such a decision at a time when they had pledged and asked the electorate to cast a vote in the effort to remove Berisha from his post. That meant they would likely lose much of that electorate in the next election. This time they had only about half of the number of votes they had previously.
Neither agreed with the haste and rush Meta used to reach the deal at a time when the final election results had yet been posted.
Opposition Socialists have called such moves treason by the SMI, calling them Berisha’s crutches.