A serious crisis has erupted in Albania’s main opposition following a vote to oust President Lulzim Basha, won by the party’s founder, former prime minister and persona non grata in the United States, Sali Berisha, on Saturday (December 11th).
Basha initially had the support of Berisha in the succession of the party but things changed drastically afterwards.
Following the decision to declare Berisha persona non grata for “acts of corruption”, “using his power for his own benefit” and other actions that “undermined democracy in Albania”, President Lulzim Basha ousted him from the parliamentary committee in September. following US pressure.
Berisha considered it a betrayal and responded by organizing a vote Saturday at a National Party Assembly in Tirana.
He won 4,934 votes to oust Basha and all the leadership appointed by him. About 36 voted against and just over 2,600 did not take part in the vote.
The assembly also approved new statutes to repeal Berisha’s exclusion from the parliamentary party and all decisions. In addition, the assembly called on all party members nationwide to dismiss Basha in a national referendum on December 18.
Following the vote on Sunday, Basha convened an emergency meeting of the party’s executive council, proposing the dismissal of 11 regional leaders and other high-ranking officials who attended the assembly.
In addition, his supporters are scheduled to vote on the same day as Berisha’s referendum. They do not recognize the result of Berisha’s vote.
As for the future of the Albanian opposition, much will depend on how many votes Basa can garner next week, as well as on the outcome of the nationwide vote that Berisha called for.
The result for Albania is that if division and intra-party conflicts continue, the country will again be left without a united opposition, creating once again a de facto one-party state.
Finally, there were protests by journalists, as they were prevented from reporting on the assembly or in the surrounding area.
euractiv.gr
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