By Sokol Balla
The June 25 elections caused a real earthquake in politics. For the first time, perhaps since the 22 March of 1992, when the massive popular “volcano” officially overthrew communism and enabled the Democratic Party to move to power, now, once again, a single party has been voted to govern on its own through a comfortable majority which allows it to carry out major reforms. These elections revealed a clear winner, Edi Rama and a clear loser, Lulzim Basha and also an unnecessary winner: Ilir Meta. At first glance it seems that for the next four years, nobody else will have a chance, that Edi Rama will lead the people as a true leader from victory to victory, but in contrast to many people, I think that June 25, in fact offered lots of potential for all political players to have a new path.
First of all, 25 June may have offered a real chance to Lulzim Basha to commit himself 100% to politics. Now, he will be in Parliament and whatever the outcome of the internal race of 22 July, he and his supporters will be an important factor in parliament, especially because he has an existing agreement with Edi Rama and formally, he has not yet declared that he will be in opposition. It goes without saying that Edi Rama is in favor of Basha’s reelection as leader of DP, because Selami and Patozi’s supporters alike (like many of Basha’s former supporters, in fact), are either against or at least skeptic for the continuation of this agreement. But, Lulzim Basha may have a historical chance to show that he knows how to do them both: the leader of opposition and the man of reforms. Of course, he can do this once he succeeds in the July 22 race.
A race, which is a chance for Eduard Selami. Former leader, who was ousted by Berisha 22 years ago, left by Basha out of the candidate lists for parliament 52 days ago, he must now manifest his values and how compatible they are with the values of the Democratic Party. The result of June 25 and the 200 thousand democrats that refused the new republic, actually come to his aid. But for this, he needs to find them in the lists, which for the moment are in Basha’s “frozen” office. But Basha may turn this race into a real opportunity, the same way the DP turned the impossible race against the Workers’ Party in 1991, three months after the Student December, into a real chance. But in order to do this, Selami must surmount Sali Berisha, who has made it clear who he favors: Basha, the loser.
In fact, 25 June should have produced a real opportunity for Sali Berisha too. His choice for the person that was going to replace him as leader of the DP was not the wrong choice in terms of the person, in this case, Basha, but it was wrong in terms of the way he handled and currently handles it in public and private. He said that Basha’s absence in Parliament obliged him to assume an active role. But now, this argument seems to have fallen and after Basha’s reelection as leader of DP, Berisha has a chance to first stay quiet, then keep a low profile and then leave once and for all, in order not to damage “beyond repair” a party which could well be his, but where all of us are stakeholders. The good doctor has the chance of his life to leave everyone alone, including his own party. What’s more, with Gramoz Ruci in the place of Ilir Meta, he will not be given any chances to occupy Parliament’s podium for hours in a row.
25 June also produced an opportunity for the Socialist Movement for Integration. This party obtained more seats than ever, but figures show that it has started to shrink. The electoral history has proven that when the two big ones decide to crush it, its size reduces. But now, in the next two years, SMI has the chance to demonstrate how to behave in opposition. Perhaps, until the local government elections, there will no longer be differences between them and the left wing will once again have a chance for reconciliation. Monika Kryemadhi also has a chance to fight the House of Cards’ type perception among the public and show that she will be able to walk at a rapid pace between the Presidency and Wilson Place. Petrit Vasili also has a chance: he has a chance to relax, following a month that led him in the office of party’s chairman as fast as it got him out and also come to terms with a new reality: that of being once again the third largest political force and what’s worse, in opposition.
June 25 is a chance for Ilir Meta to reflect on the unprecedented campaign that he held, raising many eyebrows from Skrapar, where it is not the largest political force, to Shkoder, where his political force came fourth. The campaigns of the SP and DP were modern in essence. SMI tried to launch passionate slogans, use the language of force and the number of people that it gathered in rallies, but Albanians showed him that this method was now old and Albania has changed and modernized. Meta can find no consolation for June 25: the result that he achieved is historic, but officially, this result is attributed to Petrit Vasili. Now, Meta must be given a chance to officially do the president’s job, after doing a fine job at it in the past four years, at a time when for Nishani, this was impossible both objectively and subjectively.
The curse that follows this office in the relations with the Prime Minister is very likely to continue, but let us offer a chance to this unprecedented president, whose wife will be leader of the opposition.
25 June finally offered some chances to Edi Rama too. Starting from Kavaja: I believe that the result there enabled him to detach himself from the “tough” ones once and for all, but even from those who do the job, but who have a very high public cost. To continue with Shkodra, which trusts the words uttered by Tom Doshi more than the beautiful young women that led the campaign of the Socialist Party in the blue castle of Teuta and Jozefina. To arrive in Tirana, where the silent clash between Veliaj and Tahiri almost put at risk the party’s 18th seat, which should have been won without minimum effort. To continue in the south, where apart from Vlora and Fier, the other constituencies were won thanks to the boycott of the democrats. This is something that could hardly be repeated in four years.
Of course, Edi Rama’s biggest chance is to positively exploit his successful populism manifested on June 25. In order for the red and black flags and the chants for Albania, to be proven real. In order for the country to be ruled by law and for everything to have a beginning and an end. Edi Rama, the man who painted in the streets of Paris to make his ends meet and who, today, has arrogantly invaded Italian exhibition galleries thanks to his political success, must now exert his missing talent as painter to paint a better Albania, a more normal one, more quiet, a more western one, where people don’t want to leave the country, where people don’t want to cultivate cannabis, don’t want to pay bribes and what’s more, where people no longer want to see the suffering that they went through in the past 25 years. 25 June was the chance that Edi Rama asked for. The “steering wheel”. Let him have it now. But he must no longer look for people to blame. He says that he doesn’t know how to drive ,but that he knows how to lead Albania in the right direction. Many people do not believe this, but on June 25, they, nonetheless, decided to vote him. This is not only a chance for him, but a chance for everyone. June 25 will also be remembered for this. How the SMI came up with the most striking political slogan of the campaign, which seemed to work. But for Edi Rama.
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