Do you think that the political crisis, which lasted several months, had an impact on the economy of the country?
We would be lying if we said that the political crisis, which lasted for several months, didn’t have any effects for Albania and Albanians. Whenever there’s a political crisis, this would have economic implications, because the two are connected to each other. Albania didn’t need the tent of the opposition during these moments, because the economic effect of that tent was like a wound which affected the entire country. To put the entire economy in a gridlock, all the reforms and the ambition of the country to be part of the EU, is absurd. It was certainly expected that the political instability would have an impact on the economy of the country and this was evident in these three months.
A few days ago, the business sector came out with a public message and demanded stability from the political class. How would you consider this appeal?
In all these years, Albanian governments have not made efforts to help the main powerhouse of the economy, which is the business sector. There has been no clear plan as to where the economy would go. Two are the main reasons which damage the Albanian economy: political patronage and monopoly in the market. Time has come for the business sector to free itself from the monopoly and from political influences. In capitalism, value is created by capital. An economy which is open for everyone and a real liberalization of the economic market would be the only way to rescue our economy.
Given that we’re in an electoral campaign, what is the spot that economic occupies in this campaign and what are some of the main economic platforms that voters will hear?
If we did an analysis of the progress made so far, from a personal and professional point of view, I would say that we’re better than several years ago. Since the start of our term in office, we’ve had a clear program as to what should have been done and where we must go to have successful and productive governance.
