FLASH
Shkruar nga Eduard Zaloshnja
Under these conditions, the Berisha-Meta coalition must find a candidate capable of receiving votes beyond the narrow electoral window of the last two elections.
Sooner or later, Ogerta Manastriliu will compete with someone from the opposition for the mayor of Tirana. (Erion Veliaj cannot run for a fourth term, even if he wins the difficult legal battle he is currently facing.) The question is who will Manastriliu compete against…
In the territory of the Municipality of Tirana, the Berisha-Meta coalition has suffered deep losses in the last two electoral races - in 2025 and 2023.
Thus, in 2025, this coalition received 57 thousand votes less than the SP in the territory of the Municipality of Tirana. Whereas in 2023, Belind Këlliçi (supported by the Berisha-Meta coalition) received 59 thousand votes less than Erjon Veliaj of the SP (see the graph below).
Under these conditions, the Berisha-Meta coalition must find a candidate capable of receiving votes beyond the narrow electoral window of the last two elections.
Ilir Alimehmeti is one such potential candidate, but he has firmly stated that he does not intend to run for a half-term municipal term. Only if the legal process of Veliaj's dismissal lasts through the courts until 2027, Alimehmeti can then run…
Jorida Tabaku is also a candidate who has the potential to receive votes beyond the Berisha-Meta coalition's shrinking electoral horizon, but she has firmly declared that she will be dedicated to her mandate as a deputy of the Tirana District until 2029.
Agron Gjekmarkaj also has the potential to receive votes beyond the Berisha-Meta coalition's narrow electoral horizon, but he has firmly declared that he will be dedicated to his mandate as a deputy for Lezha District until 2029.
Belind Këlliçi, who has been the most active democratic politician in Tirana in recent years, is unlikely to repeat the mistake he made by running for Tirana Mayor in 2023, because a second mistake would definitively bury his political ambitions.
And the problem is that any other potential candidate from the Berisha-Meta coalition is likely to receive even fewer votes than Këlliçi received in 2023...
In such a difficult electoral situation, the Berisha-Meta coalition may choose the option of boycotting the elections in Tirana Municipality, if they are held soon. And the justification in this case will be that they will not be free and fair…
In this last scenario, Manastriliu will only have to compete against a candidate from a small party and/or an independent candidate. Otherwise, it could be said that he will have to run a race purely for statistics.
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