By HENRI ȉLI
Events precipitate more rapidly than can be imagined and today we find ourselves faced with a far more serious impasse than either party could have pictured at the beginning. There is no exist for the Opposition from this impasse of a boycott and their own radicalism, while Berisha has still not initiated the exercising of his power or the reforms planned for his government’s second term in office. The social and economic players are increasingly more exposed to the effects of the economic crisis, and the political situation on top of this, instead of alleviating, is making the situation even worse. Now, in these first weeks of January an optimal opportunity has been created for a dignified political compromise between the Government and the Opposition, which could easily be slotted in between the extreme demands of both sides. However, for starters it should be said that by the end of 2009, Rama and Berisha, in fact, had fully realised their real political goals, beyond the goals they declared in public – Rama boycott and protests and Berisha a radicalism of political rhetoric and the huge public rally of 8 December. Once and for all, Rama has managed to remove from the agenda the issue of who is responsible for the SP losing the last general elections and has fully legitimized his position inside and outside of the party as the Leader of the SP and the Opposition. Deep down, Rama never had any other greater goal than this. On the other hand, Berisha, through his entire counter-response and reaction towards Rama’s protest, through intensifying his anti-Opposition stand, backed by the huge rally of 8 December, managed to make one particular element incontestable – that absolutely anything can change except one thing – Berisha Prime Minister 2009-2013. With the latest moves, Berisha, together with his historical compromise with Meta after the elections, gained full legitimacy as champion, irrespective of every minor problem with the standards of the 2009 general elections of whatever nature. This is why every opportunity exists today to achieve a quality and “dignified” compromise for the Opposition here-on-in, beneficial to the country, and moreover, a compromise, which for the Ruling Majority would certainly establish a degree of normalcy for the running of the country. Between the senseless ultimatum towards a legitimate government of the “Berisha-open up the ballot boxes or step down,” type and the advocacy of the Government that, “the ballot boxes will never be opened even if Enver Hoxha were to arise from his grave,” there does exist ample room for a compromise. This compromise should cover a broad range of issues of vital importance, beginning with a new electoral and even as far as constitutional reform and “New Republic”, as Kastriot Islami proposed a few days ago in the newspaper, “Panorama.” Another grouping of issues within this compromise could also be the immediate or expected balancing of the independent institutions, which with two successive terms of the DP in office face the danger of falling completely under the control of the Government via the natural and legitimate rotation of the institutions. This is a new peril lurking in the background which would further expand the DP’s exaggerated power over the whole State. Another emergency is the situation of public media and the regulatory bodies of private media. The normalization of political life, through a dignified political compromise for the Opposition, is not only the best but the only way out in the interests of all sides concerned. Rama’s Opposition can no longer arouse any significant spirit of protest and Berisha cannot have a normal government without the Opposition in Parliament.
