By Plator Nesturi
A return to the old formula. This is how we can define the agreement reached to soften up the crisis and the participation of the opposition in the elections after the long parliamentary boycott. McAllister package seems to be the basis of this peacemaking, adding a little change to it. To come to this point, neither the chess game strategy, nor the threats from Brussels that this would block the integration of the country in the EU were not enough. The “bulldozer” from Washington had to come a long time ago, in order to save more time and energy and deal with the problems that the country has, rather than following this masquerade which doesn’t really care about the citizen, who is a spectator, but addresses to the stage in front.
In spite of everything, the formula that was needed to reach the agreement, to hold the elections on 18 June or postpone the date, in spite of the ministries that were given to the opposition or police chiefs who will be moved based on the political preferences of both camps, it’s a fact that the Albanian political class showed even this time that it is immature. The solutions continue to come from abroad, but what makes this immaturity even more dangerous is its primitivism. Political crises exist in each country of the world, but elites know how to find a solution and sacrifice for the sake of the state and rules that they have built. What we saw in over two months, but also in the history of our pluralism is another phenomenon. In Albania, the political class not only doesn’t have the maturity to solve crises by choosing its channels, but worse than this, they are used to block the laws of the state. This way, the political crises prevent the functioning of the state and their solution becomes a concession at the detriment of the law and the state.
All over the world, crises show that the state and democracy suffer from an illness and the temperature of political debate indicates the level of inflammation, but the solutions and compromises offer to democracy a new space to breath and this helps further functioning of the state. It is hard to think that compromises in Albania have killed the virus and the crisis. And in most cases, they haven’t even helped the functioning of the state and democracy. The virus is still there and chances for it to be removed with the current compromise are very slim. A compromise to postpone the crisis, but not to heal Albanian democracy from the effects of dominance, clashes, the empowerment of the main figures and the fact that the interests of the people are not taken into account, because this compromise of the last minute offers very few guarantees that the factors that cause the crises will be removed. Albania may hold elections in June, July or September, but nobody can guarantee that the crisis will not emerge again after them, with new tension and fresh theses.
Imagine. The green light that a deal has been reached and that the opposition will enter the elections, is given after a saga lasting two and a half months concentrated in the area between Parliament, tent and the building of the Council of Ministers. And to reach this agreement of hasty solutions, the visit by the senior official of the State Department Yee was needed. If we take into account the fact that each of the main Albanian political parties paid large amounts to lobby in the USA, if they were really interested on the health of the Albanian democracy, they could have used that money to invite Mr. Yee here to solve the crisis of our democracy which lasted several months. But this wasn’t the case. Those lobbying money was used once again to attack other Albanians in Albania, who are on the opposite political camp. However, we remain an interesting example and may be compared with African republics.
Nevertheless, the Albanian political class managed to leave a good impression on the new Trump administration. It loves the USA and in spite of its primitivism and the fact that it will continue to be conflicting, our leaders will listen to the Americans up to an extent that allows them to “chew” each other.
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Note: The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Albanian Free Press’ editorial policy
