FLASH
Shkruar nga Preç Zogaj
The definition of democracy requires a strong and successful opposition. Based on this maxim, even though reforming and strengthening the opposition in Albania is the duty of the opposition parties themselves, the US and friendly countries cannot be indifferent or stay away from their crisis. Otherwise, the consequences would be costly within the country. Even in the region for the role that Albania has.
Nobody in Albania is impressed that the President of France, the German Chancellor, the English Prime Minister or the foreign ministers of EU countries come to Tirana and do not meet with opposition parties. It makes an impression when someone breaks this rule, state visits take place within the framework of state institutions.
However, the USA has taught us otherwise. Due to the special relations with Albania and being the main sponsor of democracy on a world scale, American officials, as a rule, have constantly found the time and opportunity to include the opposition in the agenda of their meetings, listen to it, help it with messages and advice. All this without ever creating any problems with governments.
Because in relation to the priorities of the American policy in the country and in the region, the governments of Albania and its Western oppositions have been in a kind of co-government without sharing power. Precisely because we have been taught this "rule" of great power, Secretary of State Blinken's complete avoidance of any meeting with government opponents made an impression and raised the question "why". A question which continues to hang in the air due to the lack of an answer from Secretary Blinken himself.
Personally, I foresaw and even justified the non-inclusion of opposition entities in the agenda of his meetings. Not only because of the short time as the first visit to Albania, but above all because of the big problems of the undermined opposition spectrum, with a court case in process regarding the belonging of the Democratic Party logo.
This party is today a trinity of parts in cold relations and even fierce conflicts with each other. Numerically, the largest grouping of its voters in the 2021 elections is the group of those who stay on the sidelines waiting for developments. Then comes the Reestablishment group led by Berisha and in third place, the official PD led by Basha.
Even if you want to, you can't meet those from the big group because they don't have representation. The head of Reestablishment, Mr. Berisha, has been declared non grata by the USA and does not meet him. They have even stated several times that they do not cooperate with political entities, which are run by those declared undesirable by them.
The official Democratic Party, which has Euro-Atlanticism as its compass and the unconditional support of SPAK and the new justice system, is a party reduced to a single digit due to constant departures and scrutiny. It is true that not meeting the party that prays for the USA, Blinken asserted, among other things, that slogans, history or rhetoric are not enough. To be considered a major power, DP must increase.
Having said that, while it was expected that Blinken would not meet with the opposition parties, what was unexpected and why not disappointing was the answer he gave to the direct question of the journalist Muhamet Veliu on this matter, when he said that he had received what he needed from the meetings that he had done. An answer that practically made the opposition and oppositionism peaceful. At least in the context of the visit. At a time when, beyond the problems of the opposition parties, Albania has a strong opposition vocation.
According to a recent survey, over sixty percent of Albanian citizens are dissatisfied with Rama's government. The vast majority of them are articulate opponents.
In the national agora of debates and political discussions, there are hundreds and thousands of eyes that promote the values of western democracy and gratitude to the USA for the great benefits they have done to Albania and the Albanian nation, that fight against corruption and the phenomena of Tirana's misgovernment. which we find realistically reflected in the annual reports of the Department of State.
The opposition and Albanian oppositionists who strive for these values, but also the whole society, need and welcome messages that recognize and encourage oppositionism. Indeed, it is these first points that hold the country on the course of Euro-Atlanticism for conviction. While not infrequently political leaders are rhetorical; they are conjuncturalists who make illegal money and wealth with the US flag in hand.
Mr. Blinken's high evaluations of Prime Minister Rama are welcomed, without a doubt, by the many Albanians who support and vote for him. From my point of view, these evaluations do not cause any concern to the rest of the society, to the opponents of the government. The number two of the most beloved and powerful country honors us with his visit and praises his host, who in this case represents us all.
There is politeness and courtesy in these expressions. Let there also be personal empathy. The department headed by Mr. Blinken speaks in many forms and classrooms about the high level of corruption in Albania's executive branch. But the high ratings for the prime minister in the absence of any message for the opposition and the opposition create new, harmful imbalances in an already quite unbalanced political reality created by the authoritarian and clientelistic government of Prime Minister Rama on the one hand and the crisis of the opposition on the other side.
The disproportionate exposure of support for someone who has unlimited power further emphasizes the vacuum of ignoring the opposition. However, all parts of the opposition must reflect deeply on their loneliness at the leadership level in relation to Washington, Great Britain, and the EU countries in general. No subject and no leader has a future outside of being open in Washington and Brussels. Here also the right decision-making that should lead to opening the doors and obtaining the status of a close partner for each political subject and each of their leaders. The victorious opposition to the government can only be Euro-Atlantic in the sense that it not only says it is such, but also is recognized and supported by its partners as such.
The definition of democracy requires a strong and successful opposition. Based on this maxim, even though reforming and strengthening the opposition in Albania is the duty of the opposition parties themselves, the US and friendly countries cannot be indifferent or stay away from their crisis. Otherwise, the consequences would be costly within the country. Even in the region for the role that Albania has.
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