By ANDI BALLA
The summer is hot, the tourist season has started, and the World Cup has drawn the attention of most Albanians away from politics. And that’s good. We need a break.
But lurking in the background is an unsolved political crisis, a paralyzed legislative body, and open conflict among various jurisdictions controlled by ruling and opposition parties.
What makes the current political standstill in Albania bad goes far beyond integration and visa-free travel, which have been covered in length by this newspaper. There is more going on here that meets the eye.
First, the crisis is hurting Albania’s image נinternally and externally נwith potentially catastrophic economic results. This is the worst time to project political instability. The economic crisis in our debt-ridden EU neighbors, Greece and Italy, will cost Albania dearly as it is. Throw in some political turmoil in the mix, and domestic and foreign investors will be looking to put their money somewhere safer.
Second, the prolonged crisis has left the moderate voters deeply disenchanted with politics. They will likely abstain in the next elections. These are the true European Albanians – voters who decide based on issues rather than strong-man loyalties. Loosing them is a far bigger death knell for Albanian democracy that any real or perceived election irregularities.
Third, Albanian voters are increasingly smartening up to an ugly situation and the true reasons behind the crisis. The two political leaders might keep to their talking points about upholding court rulings or defending democracy – but at the end of the day this is simply about power – one party has it and the other wants it. Politicians everywhere function much the same way, and Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Mayor Edi Rama are no exception.
They are both appealing to the court of public opinion at this point, to see who will blink first. In traditional Albanian style, no one has been blinking – for months.
The one that stands to lose the most from the current situation, however, is Mr. Rama, whose image has been suffering outside his party’s core supporters, because voters don’t like the instability created by the opposition. Whether the reasons behind the protest are just or not, Mr. Rama increasingly risks parallels being drawn between him and Mr. Berisha, when they are actually nothing alike and represent entirely different generations and outlooks.
Mr. Berisha will likely try to ride this out. There isn’t much he can lose at this point, since he rules his own party with an iron fist and has a solid majority coalition in parliament. There is also no way legally for Socialists to force early elections, other than the protests they has been mounting so far, that might have worked in the early 1990s, but that are out of place for a mainstream opposition party in a European democracy.
