Elections in Albania, the campaign dominated by the harsh language of party leaders

 

 The campaign for local elections in Albania, which closes the next day, was dominated by exchanges of attacks and political accusations, where there was no lack of insulting and derogatory tones towards the opponent. While the candidates in the race for the country's 61 municipalities held frequent meetings with the citizens, focusing mainly on local problems, the discourse of the political leaders was more like a battle for the reins of the central government than of the cities and villages of country.

In the campaign's opening, Prime Minister Rama declared that his party and the candidates for municipalities and municipal councils should have minimal engagement with political opponents and, as he put it, avoid "linguistic and visual pollution" by reducing the presence of posters and slogans on city streets.

 We remind that in May 2021, the former president and former prime minister of Albania were declared "Persona Non Grata" by the United States Department of State, accusing him of serious corruption and posing a threat to democracy in his country. On May 22, 2022, he was reelected as the president of the Democratic Party after ousting his predecessor and protégé Lulzim Basha. On July 22, the United Kingdom declared him once again "Persona Non Grata" by the Secretary of the Home Office, accusing him of corruption and collaborating with organized crime, undermining democracy in his country.

However, the first posters that immediately appeared were those of the Prime Minister accompanied by black and white photos of his opponents, Berisha and Meta, with the slogan "Never again". Derogatory epithets against both occupied a prominent place in Mr. Rama's speeches during the campaign. "Do these right-wing individuals understand that this man, along with his golden boy, are one? Salika, do they understand that Salika is a shame?" Mr. Rama expressed during a rally in Saranda a few days ago.

The same approach, often with contemptuous tones, has been held by the Prime Minister towards the candidates of the "Together We Win" coalition, whom he simply referred to as masks of their leaders: "These candidates from the black side and the golden boy are like the violinists on the Titanic who played their instruments as the ship sank."

On their part, both Mr. Berisha and Mr. Meta have responded to the accusations of corruption against the Prime Minister, holding him responsible for the desperate state of the country, according to them. The same attitude has been adopted towards socialist representatives in the race: "Where are Edi Rama's candidates? In basements, they don't meet with citizens, they meet with their employees, they meet with mafia groups, they distribute money. They know that their place is in prison for the crimes they have committed, and that's where they will go. Edi Rama has stolen from Albanians more than all the invaders combined," Mr. Berisha declared during a rally yesterday afternoon in Durres.

The "Together We Win" coalition, the largest opposition formation, has tried to attract its supporters with the idea that a victory in these elections would shorten the days of the current government. "May 14th will also be the day when we decide to remove our hands from this government in the coming autumn. I guarantee you that Edi Rama can never stay in power any longer," Mr. Berisha expressed a few days ago in Gjirokaster.

According to Mr. Meta as well, participation in Sunday's elections would make citizens "part of a revolution, which starts on May 14th, against the regime of absolute corruption as it was due to absolute monopolization in our country's 61 municipalities and local councils, to start the absolute transparency that is in the interest of every citizen living in this country."

Mr. Berisha was forced to seek refuge in the "Together We Win" coalition led by Mr. Meta, as the decision of the Court of Appeals left the debate on the official representation of the Democratic Party unresolved, which consequently remains in the hands of the group led by Mr. Enkelejd Alibeaj. Unprepared for the May 14th elections and damaged by internal clashes, this group entered the race with a limited number of mayoral candidates, aiming primarily for representation in municipal councils.

For Mr. Alibeaj, these elections are a double clash, on one hand with the ruling socialists and on the other hand with the Berisha-Meta coalition, which, according to him, do not represent the real opposition of the country. "Albanians massively oppose Berishism and seek Euro-Atlanticism. Albanians don't want Rama, nor do they want Berisha and Meta. The regime of Rama, ladies and gentlemen, will come to an end not when Edi Rama leaves, but when the reasons for why Edi Rama, Berisha, and Meta continue.