Madhi: A legal framework and a credible government is missing for the elections

Madhi: A legal framework and a credible government is missing for the elections
In the meeting of the Socialist Party parliamentary group, the head of the government demanded from MPs maximum engagement in the June 18 election campaign. Making an analysis of the situation, Rama said that despite what the former PM Sali Berisha and leader of opposition, Basha do, the Socialist Party has only one alternative, to head to elections and achieve a bigger victory than the one in 2013.

“With Berisha or without him, with Basha or without him, the elections will take place”, while asking MPs to go out on the field in order to secure a better result than in 2013. Prime Minister Rama also ruled out the possibility for the postponement of the elections, by saying that Albania is not in the same situation as Macedonia. Rama also expressed his support for the judicial reform, for which he said that he was convinced that his reform would go ahead. For this and other important current political affairs, the Secretary General of the Republican Party, Arjan Madhi offers his insight exclusively for Albanian Free Press and albanianfreepress.al.

Mr. Madhi, PM Rama said on Sunday that: “With Berisha or without him, with Basha or without him, the elections will take place”. What’s your comment on his declaration to hold the elections without the opposition?

This is Edi Rama’s political choice. Of course, there are no legal obstacle on what Rama suggests, but in the context of the elections and the needs that Albania has, it would not be acceptable and it would even be condemnable in the public opinion for Edi Rama to take actions of such nature, which would have a negative impact in the functioning of Albanian society, which is divided into two main political camps. Such confrontation and a lack of predisposition for dialogue means that Edi Rama’s behaviors are unacceptable and Albanian taxpayers pay the cost of this behavior. We must install the culture of dialogue in Albania in order to address many phenomena and many issues which have a primary importance in our goal to join the EU.

How will the opposition act in such circumstances? Will it continue its protest and until when?

I believe that there’s a misunderstanding in the public opinion. The opposition fights for two important elements, which have to do with a key constitutional principle: to guarantee the right of free vote and free elections. From this moment, all of this process is taking place through a legal framework which guarantees, from a legal point of view and an executive point of view, a government which is in charge of monitoring the application of the law. It would not be wise to have an electoral code which leaves many gaps in the process. The process would also be incomplete if we had a technocrat government, but not a good law. In this context, it is necessary to have an election law which sanctions all rights and obligations and also a good government, which would guarantee an electoral process beyond the interests of just one side. We’re on our feet, we’re protesting and we will continue to protest for as long as there are no fair elections. As a citizen, I cannot go to vote if my vote is not read as it should do and I believe that every citizen would act like me.

Can the recent cabinet changes be translated as a step toward a technocrat government?

No, because, first of all, the government is led by a Prime Minister, who instructs every minister about the work that needs to be done. This is the first issue. The second issue relates to the fact that the opposition was not consulted when these replacements in the cabinet took place. This was Edi Rama’s decision  and this decision was made due to the need of the Socialist Party to maximize the number of votes in the elections. This means that these changes were not a product of an agreement between two parties. There’s a moral breach, because the opposition was not part of it. This is a unilateral act, based on Edi Rama’s needs. The opposition sticks to its position: There cannot be a fair election with Edi Rama as Prime Minister.

 

 

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