By LEDION VESHI
TIRANA, Feb.3 – After publicly voicing dissatisfaction regarding the lack of elections in his party earlier in the week, Socialist Party MP Ben Blushi increased the dose of criticism against the party’s leadership during an interview for ‘Top Story’ broadcasted on Top Channel last Thursday. Blushi also didn’t hide his ambitions for running for the party chair by saying that his election would help turn the party into a more democratic entity and prevent the infiltration of the criminal element.
Blushi also lambasted the performance of the government and its attempted reforms, while at the same time expressing reservations for the ruling coalition. However, Prime Minister Edi Rama and other key figures from the Socialist Party have said the debate is artificial and that Rama will be automatically reconfirmed as party chair in the upcoming Socialist congress.
Lack of democracy in the party and chairmanship ambitions
Blushi didn’t stop short of considering current chairman Edi Rama as arbitrarily ruling the party since in his view Edi Rama’s term at the helm of the Socialist Party has expired in 2013 and that the decision not to hold party elections since then goes against the Socialist Party statute. Blushi maintained that elections for the party chair every four years have been the norm in the Socialist Party in the last two decades regardless of success in the general elections. “Edi Rama was elected Prime Minister in 2013 and felt there would be no need for reconfirming his status as party chairman. The elections were not won by Edi Rama, but by the Socialist Party.
And for as long as I am convinced it was not a single man’s victory, but that of a political party, the party has a specific date for elections and the right to choose who will be leading it,” Blushi declared. Blushi also challenged the logic that since Edi Rama won the general elections he is automatically reelected as party chairman since Rama previously had lost elections in 2009 and refused to step down, which in Blushi’s lens constituted a double standard. “In 2009 after losing elections Rama should have resigned as per party statute, but instead he chose to run again by changing the statute. In 2013, he declares there will be no elections and currently holds a seven-year mandate.
This is a party without rules and I simply cannot accept that.” Blushi added. The Socialist lawmaker challenged the current chairman Edi Rama by declaring that he was convinced he could do a better job than Edi Rama as party leader in case the party decided to hold elections in the upcoming congress, making the party more democratic, one in which people are elected and not appointed.
Blushi also promised he would keep the party free of the criminal element in case he is elected as head of the Socialist Party. The Socialist MP also responded to critics by denying allegations that his stance was just a matter of career ambitions. According to Blushi, the easiest way to make career in the Socialist Party currently is by breaking the law. Meanwhile, Blushi went as far as to call it ‘a typical Albanian insanity’ in case the pending Socialist congress decides not to hold a ballot for choosing the party leader.
Criminal element in the party
Blushi bluntly stated that the decriminalization law was aimed at the Socialist Party. “We are the first party in Europe which the West told to decriminalize itself, because that law was meant for us,’” the Socialist lawmaker stated. Blushi saw a close connection between the infiltration of the so-called criminal element in the party and the lack of internal democracy. “If there’s no democracy within the party, there are no elections, obviously gangsters will infiltrate it. If we would have held elections, none of these people would have entered Parliament,” Blushi stated. According to Blushi, Rama did not find any bandits in the party, he imported them from outside instead.
Government policies ‘chaotic and confused’
Blushi also held reservations regarding the way the Socialist Party has been governing, which in his view as a centerleft government has betrayed the interests of the poor. “I don’t think there are any left-wing political parties today in Europe, in which half of the parliamentary group is comprised of the country’s richest people. As we speak, ten of the richest people in Albania are part of the Socialist Party parliamentary group,” Blushi said. Blushi considered a paradox the fact that the country’s richest people would choose to become part of a party whose political program foresees an increase of taxes for the rich.
From Blushi’s point of view, it meant that they have joined the party for personal gain rather than as a matter of principles. Blushi painted a grim picture of reality in Albania saying that the public debt has increased while loans have not been put to a good use, Albanians continue to leave the country and that government policies have been discriminatory. “I have personally been a supporter of the reform in the energy sector, but unfortunately it has produced three results: firstly, the financial situation of the power distribution operator has not improved, secondly, it has been selective, and thirdly, it has increased the energy price for the poorest individuals,” Blushi declared.
Ruling coalition producing power not reforms
The ruling coalition also became a focus of Blushi’s critics. “This coalition and Edi Rama are responsible because they are not finding the right balance. The coalition is producing power, but not reforms. I will change this coalition, will make it more functional,” Blushi replied when asked about the ruling coalition in case he assumed the leadership of the Socialist Party. However, Blushi did not support early elections and a rotation of power, but instead insisted for change within the Socialist Party itself as ‘the least costly’ option for the country.
When asked about his opinion regarding the fact that another Socialist MP Eduart Ndocaj has announced his possible candidature for assuming the leadership of the Socialist Party, Blushi didn’t hold back irony. “Edi [Rama] and Eduart [Ndocaj] are rivals, but they are also good friends. It was Edi who brought Eduart in Parliament so since they are together, that makes things easier for me. They think the same, and share the same appetite so I wish both good luck,” Blushi declared.
Party shuts the door on him
A day after Blushi’s declarations, the vice chairman of the Socialist parliamentary group Taulant Balla said that the upcoming Socialist congress will only see a reconfirmation of the current chairman Edi Rama and that the debate was artificial. According to Balla, the organizational model of the Socialist Party is that of UK’s Labour Party when the party chairman wins the elections is automatically confirmed as the head of the party until the next ballot. “Hence, Edi Rama’s mandate was reconfirmed in 2013 and this debate is artificial until 2017,” Balla said.
The fact that the Socialist Party does not plan to hold elections for its leader was also confirmed by Prime Minister Edi Rama himself who said that he has already been reconfirmed by winning two consecutive elections and that he didn’t see Blushi as a rival. Meanwhile, the Minister of Economy Arben Ahmetaj has replied to Blushi’s comments regarding the state of the economy by saying that his criticism was just a matter of populism and not based on figures and that the economy has improved instead. “This year will see 3.5% economic growth.
I regret to say that in his speech I only see populism, which takes us nowhere,” Ahmetaj said. Ahmetaj also stated that unemployment has decreased and that Blushi should support the government’s reforms instead of attacking them. The only Socialist lawmaker to express public support for Blushi’s platform so far is Mimoza Hafizi Socialist MP representing Shkodra who expressed her support by saying that the lack of elections in the party is also a concern for the Socialist base in Shkodra.
She said that she has taken into consideration the implications of the decision on her political career and that one shouldn’t be afraid of speaking openly. “If none of us speaks, things won’t change in Albania. Even if there’s a risk, it is one worth undertaking in case you believe in your cause,” Hafizi said. Blushi has said there are other lawmakers that support his platform and that he will reveal the names only before the Socialist congress, which is going to be held on March 19.
