One thing is clear now: Up until today, from the time of Odyssey until present times, nobody achieved or would never achieve their “Ithaca”, choosing to follow the route of the greater evil. One thing is sure, that Lulzim Basha is not one of them who could change the 2600 year old laws of humanity
This article has been written for Albanian Free Press newspaper and www.afp.al
By Alfred Peza
Between two evils that may emerge during a person’s lifetime as an alternative, everyone chooses the lesser evil. The case of the DP and our opposition in relation to the June 18 elections, seems to be turning into a “sui generis” case. Being fully aware of this, they have embarked on a very difficult journey, for them and for Albania too, with the hope that this way, they will sacrifice a lot about themselves for the moment, but convinced that they will manage to speed up the end of Edi Rama and the majority that he leads today. As a result, they could fulfill their dream of a faster return to power.
Let us suppose for a moment that Lulzim Basha is stronger and a bigger visionary than all of them who have started the journey through a strait like this, where he finds himself today, “between Scylla and Charybdis”, departing from Homer’s Odyssey up to the present days. Let us sum up all the options before him and the near democratic future of the country into two options.
1-DP and its allies enter the June 18 elections, regardless of the concrete political solution that was on today’s table of negotiations.
2-The opposition boycotts the 2017 parliamentary elections.
A question naturally arises after this: Which one of these two paths is the lesser evil? Everyone will opt for the first one. Thus, despite the problems that have been addressed or claimed by the sides involved in today’s crisis, the country will head to elections with the participation of all political parties. Of course, this choir will not even lack voices from the opposition and DP. Where does this path lead? To a legitimate electoral process and as a result, to a majority and opposition tomorrow, according to the verdict of the Albanian people expressed through their free vote. This conclusion offers an opportunity for the claims, motives and causes that exist today to be addressed, for country to have a government and for the judicial reform to move forward.
The second path, which must be analyzed a little deeper is what seems to be closer than ever: The boycott of the elections by the DP and other ally parties. I believe and have always believed that Berisha was right when he said that boycott is never an option for the DP, because this goes against the DNA of this party. But if this becomes reality, then this will be the first time in the history of Albanian pluralism that the main opposition force denies half of people entitled to vote, the right to express their political will on election day.
As a result, the electoral product which is expected to come out may force legitimists to be included in a real debate concerning the phenomenon, but even about the consequences that it can generate in the future, in parliament, government and in the democratic relations that exist between parties and citizens, on the limit of the constitutional right to elect and to be elected.
On the other hand, there’s also a question which has started to be asked: If the current opposition doesn’t participate in the elections, will there be a vacuum in the political spectrum of representation? Of course. A big one. But, on the other hand, can this vacuum be filled quickly and in a legitimate way until the moment that political parties and their pre-electoral coalitions register at the CEC? Does the current political arena in the country have any the right players who in no time at all would create a new political pole of the right wing and offer an opportunity to all of those who do not vote today’s left wing majority, to head to the polling stations and elect their lesser good in this scenario of the greater evil?
And if this happens, how legitimate will be the mandates of this new right wing pole tomorrow when representing the will of right wing voters in the next Parliament? What about the government that will come out of these kinds of elections, what will be its legitimacy in governing the country for a full four year term in office? And above all, what will happen with the opposition’s boycott? And what consequences could have its temporary or permanent exit from the political arena for the country? Are there other cases in countries with democracies similar to ours or more advanced or consolidated than ours, which have gone through this scenario? How were these cases solved and what were the consequences for their future? All of these and much more trouble the main political leaders today and the international community in Tirana or even people who are interested on the political and democratic developments in Albania. They seek answers and sooner or later, a part of them will be clear, making us witnesses of our vision or lack thereof.
One thing is clear now: Up until today, from the time of Odyssey until present times, nobody achieved or would never achieve their “Ithaca”, choosing to follow the route of the greater evil. One thing is sure, that Lulzim Basha is not one of them who could change the 2600 year old laws of humanity.
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Note: The stances expressed in the Opinion section do not necessarily represent the editorial line of Albanian Free Press
