After the results of the primaries held on Sunday by the group of the Democratic Party (DP) supported by the former leader of that party, Sali Berisha, the latter announced the candidates for the 6 March partial local elections as well as the coalition with the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) on Monday.
Describing Sunday as historic, Berisha thanked from the bottom of his heart those thousands of DP members who made history with their free vote. “They brought here before you today for the first time in the history of political pluralism in Albania candidates who have been proposed by a vote of confidence selected entirely by the DP membership,” he said.
In addition, the former PM said that none of the candidates belongs to Berisha or the re-establishment commission. “They are all the nominees of the party grassroots that has made these primaries the most democratic development in any country and I can tell you that yesterday marked the application of an unprecedented standard that has never existed in Albania.”
On the other hand he revealed that the DP will take part in the local elections with a coalition.
“The Socialist Movement for Integration is part of this coalition and the modalities defined by law are being looked at. Negotiations are underway with other parties. There is a legal determination of how many parties will be in the coalition,” said Berisha. “Candidates are not registered with the SMI logo. The coalition will be called the ‘House of Freedom’. The coalition will have its own logo, which is normal in any coalition,”said Berisha.
Berisha also touched upon the split of the Democrats, stating that Sunday marked the separation of the DP from the dark practices used by the leader of the Democrats, Lulzim Basha.
“Yesterday marked the final detachment of the DP from dubious non-transparent practices, dark practices used in 8 years by Lulzim Brava (Lock). It marked the keeping of a promise made to the DP membership and sanctioned in the statute of this party in the Re-establishment Assembly. The race took place within the best standards of free elections. 21 candidates have participated,” said Berisha.
” In a tit-for-tat reaction on the creation of the new coalition Basha’s DP said in a post on FB on Monday: “The non-grata coalition will not keep Albania marking times, the problems of Berisha, (PM Edi) Rama and (President Ilir) Meta are not the concerns of Albanians.” / Argumentum.al
