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The German media "Frankfurter Rundschau" has written an article on the elections in Albania, focusing on the reconciliation of Chris Lacivita with Berisha...
Where is Albania going?
This is the question plaguing people on the Balkan peninsula ahead of parliamentary elections on May 11.
The outcome of the elections in Albania is considered crucial for the country's further path towards membership in the European Union.
Who can hope for victory?
Two parties and alliances are vying for victory: Current Prime Minister Edi Rama (Socialist Party) has announced the intention to continue efforts for membership in the European Union by 2030.
His main rival is former right-wing prime minister and former president Sali Berisha, who leads an opposition alliance with an electoral slogan inspired by US President Donald Trump for a “Great Albania.”
Trump campaign guru aims to lead Berisha to victory
60-year-old Edi Rama is seeking a fourth term as prime minister. During the election campaign, the Socialist Party leader highlighted the benefits of European Union membership: According to him, open doors to Brussels are the key to enabling all Albanians to enjoy “the same rights as citizens of other European countries.”
His opponent, Sali Berisha, after twelve years in opposition, wants to return to power. The 80-year-old has presented himself as a strong leader and is focused on economic recovery: “We are the only ones who can revive the country’s economy, the only ones who can move Albania forward,” he declared.
However, Berisha is being targeted by Albanian justice on corruption charges. Due to suspicions of links to organized crime, he has been banned from entering the US and the UK since 2021.
Berisha hopes for a turnaround: With Trump's advisor towards victory in the Albanian elections?
Berisha's party has specifically engaged American campaign strategist Chris LaCivita, who, together with Susie Wiles, led Donald Trump's campaign for the 2024 US presidential election, for the election campaign.
“Over the past two years, Chris LaCivita has advised two major political figures in two different countries,” the American newspaper Politico quoted the spokesman for the Democratic Party of Albania, Alfred Lela: “Donald Trump and Sali Berisha.”
According to Lela, the two men have “extremely similar profiles.” They have been pursued by institutions at home and abroad and presented as “dangerous outsiders” who must be eliminated from politics at all costs.
LaCivita has a clear objective: “With a thriving democracy and a true friendship with America, we can make Albania great again,” he said at an event at the start of this campaign.
Trump advisor calls prime minister a "Soros puppet" ahead of Albania's elections
He maintained the same tone during a press conference in February: “We want to help elect a prime minister who is a true friend of the United States and who will cooperate successfully with President Trump and the United States,” LaCivita said at the time in Tirana. He called Rama “a puppet of George Soros” and added: “You cannot be a puppet of George Soros and a friend of the United States at the same time.”
According to Politico, LaCivita's advisory team for Berisha also includes Paul Manafort, known for being Trump's 2016 campaign manager. Manafort has been convicted twice for tax evasion, fraud, and conspiracy. In total, he was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison. Trump pardoned him in December 2020.
Polls for Albania's elections show socialists in the lead - Trump adviser hopes for a turnaround
However, polls show that the ruling Socialist Party could win around 48% of the vote, while Berisha's alliance is more than ten percentage points behind. However, the low reliability of polls in Albania could still bring a surprise.
For the first time in a parliamentary election, Albanians living abroad can vote by mail. According to data from the Central Election Commission, 245,935 people from the diaspora have registered. For this reason, it is also not clear whether the polls for the elections in Albania are reliable. /Adapted from “Frankfurter Rundschau”
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