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Two years after leaving the Democratic Party headquarters together with Enkelejd Alibeaj, which former Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his supporters had peacefully taken control of, unlike the January attack of the same year, this Monday, the head of the Democratic parliamentary group Gazment Bardhi and the group of deputies who follow him stepped there for the first time, sealing what had recently been announced as the final unification.
“No more division! No more conflict! We will work together to transform today’s opposition into tomorrow’s government. Every relationship must be built on this principle and everyone should be welcomed. Let’s talk about ideas, about principles, not about individuals,” said Bardhi.
A strong supporter of distancing from Berisha after his non grata designation by the United States and his exclusion from the Democratic parliamentary group in September 2021, and a few months later the decision not to consider him part of the Democratic Party anymore, Bardhi has continued to sidestep the question of whether he recognizes Berisha as chairman. After the group meeting at the DP headquarters, all Bardhi said is that “I only recognize the will of the Democrats”.
Some of his statements make it clear that between the “united parties to fight the regime of Prime Minister Edi Rama”, there are deep differences on some issues, such as those related to justice, or relations with the U.S. administration.
“The Democratic Party is the most pro-European party than any other political force in the country. We believe in our strategic allies. We also believe that Albania needs an independent justice, without political interference, but we must emphasize strongly that we are not at war with justice! We will support and encourage it without complexes to enforce the law, but we will also tell the truth to the Albanians whenever we find that the balance of justice is upset by political interference,” said Bardhi, at a time when his colleagues from the Reestablishment faction view justice and especially the Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) as a “Government tool”, not sparing harsh attacks, and qualifications as “a criminal organization”, especially after Berisha was put under investigation and is currently under house arrest.
But for Bardhi “our presence here means understanding, respect for different opinions. We are united in diversity, each preserving our positions, because we have more things that unite us than those that have divided us until yesterday”.
They all then participated in the National Council meeting of the Reestablishment faction, where the main topic was organizing the protest announced for February 20.
