Albanian opposition in turmoil following leadership battle

Albania’s main opposition party is in turmoil following a vote to expel Chairman Lulzim Basha, won by party founder, ex-prime minister and president, and persona-non-grata in the United States, Sali Berisha on Saturday (11 December).

Following the decision to declare Berisha non-grata over “corrupt acts”, “using his power for his own benefit”, and other actions that “undermined democracy in Albania”, Chairman Lulzim Basha dismissed him from the parliamentary committee in September of this year following US pressure.

Berisha responded by organising a vote on Saturday at a National Party Assembly in Tirana. It yielded 4934 votes to dismiss Basha and all leadership appointed by him. Some 36 voted against, and just over 2600 did not take part in the ballot.

The assembly also approved new statutes to rescind Berisha’s exclusion from the parliamentary party and all decisions. Furthermore, the assembly called for all party members nationwide to sack Basha in a national referendum to be held on 18 December.

Following the outcome of the vote, on Sunday, Basha called an emergency meeting of the party’s executive council proposing to dismiss 11 regional leaders and other high-ranking officials who took part in the assembly. Furthermore, his followers are scheduled to vote on the same day as Berisha’s party referendum. They do not recognise the outcome of Berisha’s vote.

Journalists have complained they were prevented from reporting on the assembly or in the vicinity.

The internal strife comes just three months after the opposition entered parliament after an almost two-year hiatus. They resigned their mandates en mass in early 2019 following the leak of prosecution wiretaps alleging vote-buying and pressuring between high-ranking Socialist Party officials and members of criminal gangs.

This left parliament in the hands of the ruling party, who could pass laws and take decisions without opposition. They also boycotted the 2019 local elections meaning the socialists won in almost all municipalities, essentially making Albania a one-party state.

As for the future of Albania’s opposition, much will depend on how many votes Basha can get next week, as well as the outcome of voting across the country called by Berisha. The outcome for Albania is that should the division and infighting continue, the country will again be left without a united opposition, creating a de facto single-party state once again.

(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)