TIRANA, March 25 – The main opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha and other party officials have indicated he will not run for a second term in the Tirana mayor’s office in the June municipal elections.
Basha has not made a final official statement but he has said several times he wants to focus entirely on party affairs to seek the prime minister’s office in two years time in the general election.
Neither the Democrats nor the other major party, the Socialists of Prime Minister Edi Rama, have offered official candidates for Tirana, the country’s largest and most important municipality.
Albanian political parties are preparing themselves and the lists for those who will run to lead the country’s 61 municipalities and their councils that will be elected on June 21.
Tirana remains the top priority for both main political groupings, but much of the primary race to become the candidate for each party has so far been closed to the public. The party leaders are likely to have the last say, analysts say.
A potential independent candidate, Gjergj Bojaxhi, has indicated he will challenge both parties. Bojaxhi is a former Democrat who has gone independent after disagreements with Basha.
Basha won by a few votes four years ago, in a tight vote decided from a judicial college. Socialists, then in opposition, said the vote was rigged.
At that time Basha won against Rama.
