FLASH NEWS
Berisha's unrivaled race for the leadership of the DP risks sinking the party politically
2026-05-21 20:18:11 / POLITIKË
Sali Berisha has called the May 23 elections for the new chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania "a democratic and modern process."
However, there is only one candidate in the race – Berisha himself, who is running again for re-election as party leader.
Although several potential candidates were preparing to face Berisha in the internal vote, the few who showed interest in running were quickly disqualified.
Explaining this unusual development, Berisha said that "collaborators of the government and crime are not accepted," referring to Edi Rama's Socialist Party government.
The vote for the party's leadership came after its defeat in the May 2025 general elections, but has been postponed for a long time.
Although the party launched a formal process for registering candidacies for the internal elections, the party structures, controlled by Berisha, excluded all potential candidates, claiming that they did not meet the criteria.
The most prominent potential candidate was former MP Ervin Salianji, who, after spending about a year in prison for “false reporting” against former Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj, has been critical of the party since December of last year, calling for internal reforms.
Although his prison sentence was initially considered political by the party, his criticism of Berisha after his release from prison has not been welcomed.
Salianji calls the selection process a "shameful farce," saying it has undermined the party's credibility in the face of Rama's Socialist Party.
“This farce that is unfolding before the eyes of all Albanians, culminating in the shameful usurpation of the Democratic Party, severely damages the credibility of the opposition, takes away the moral superiority of the Democratic Party and pits an autocratic party against an autocratic government,” Salianji told BIRN.
However, due to his prison sentence, Salianji has been banned from holding official office for five years.
Berisha, now 81, a former prime minister and former president, has been a dominant figure in post-communist Albanian politics for more than three decades.
His expected re-election as head of the Democratic Party comes after the party's apparent defeat in the May 2025 elections, when it won only 50 seats in parliament compared to 83 seats won by the Socialist Party, which secured its fourth governing mandate.
However, many people question the internal democracy of the Democratic Party and its ability to inspire young voters if it is unwilling to listen to critical voices.
Statuti i vetë partisë përcakton që kryetari duhet të japë dorëheqjen nëse humben zgjedhjet e përgjithshme. Kjo nuk ndodhi në rastin e Berishës. I pyetur për këtë, Berisha u përgjigj se zgjedhjet nuk ishin “humbur”, por “vjedhur” nga socialistët në pushtet.
Që atëherë, strategjia e tij ka qenë organizimi i protestave të përmuajshme kundër korrupsionit të pretenduar qeveritar, duke iu referuar disa çështjeve që po hetohen nga SPAK-u.
Megjithatë, vetë Berisha aktualisht është në gjyq për korrupsion. Një pjesë e mirë e retorikës së tij publike përbëhet nga dënimi i Altin Dumani, i cili ishte kreu i SPAK-ut kur nisi hetimi ndaj Berishës.
Luljeta Progni, gazetare me bazë në Tiranë, paralajmëron se “një parti që përjashton anëtarët e saj, qofshin këta kandidatë apo figura të tjera politike, po investon me vetëdije në humbje, jo në fitore.”
“Pas 13 vitesh në opozitë, është e pakuptueshme që një parti ta ngushtojë gjithnjë e më shumë hapësirën politike brenda saj,” tha Progni për BIRN.
“Përjashtimi i kandidatëve u jep legjitimitet atyre që besojnë se beteja për drejtimin e opozitës nuk ka të bëjë me ofrimin e një alternative për elektoratin ndaj qeverisë, por vetëm me ruajtjen e kontrollit mbi partinë,” shtoi ajo.
Një parti e identifikuar plotësisht me liderin e saj?
Sali Berisha u zgjodh për herë të parë në krye të Partisë Demokratike në vitin 1991 – partia e parë pluraliste e krijuar në Shqipëri pas gati 50 vitesh komunizëm.
Ai kishte marrë pjesë në organizatat studentore dhe protestat që çuan në rrëzimin e regjimit komunist.
Berisha dha dorëheqjen nga drejtimi i partisë për t’u bërë President i vendit në vitin 1992, por u rikthye në krye të saj në vitin 1997, pasi u largua nga presidenca.
Në vitin 2013, ai dha sërish dorëheqjen si kryetar i partisë pas humbjes së zgjedhjeve parlamentare të atij viti, pasi kishte qeverisur për tetë vite si kryeministër.
Por ai u rikthye përsëri në vitin 2021, kur ish-kryetari i partisë, Lulzim Basha, u distancua prej tij dhe vendosi ta përjashtonte nga partia, pasi Berisha u shpall “non grata” nga Departamenti Amerikan i Shtetit.
Berisha udhëhoqi më pas një lëvizje politike brenda partisë dhe një betejë ligjore që përfundoi me rikthimin e tij në krye të Partisë Demokratike. Megjithatë, që nga ajo kohë, ai nuk ka arritur të fitojë asnjë përballje elektorale kundër socialistëve.
Gentian Gaba, aktivist i partisë dhe kritik i Berishës, thotë se aktualisht Partia Demokratike duket më shumë se kurrë e identifikuar me figurën e Berishës.
“Edhe pse kam qenë pjesë e një përpjekjeje disavjeçare për reformimin e Partisë Demokratike, duhet të them se ajo është një parti sui generis, e cila sot identifikohet më shumë se kurrë me figurën e Berishës, i cili për një pjesë të madhe të periudhës së tranzicionit ka qenë vetë identiteti i saj politik, emocional dhe historik,” tha Gaba për BIRN.
Sipas Gabës, “gara” aktuale për drejtimin e partisë pasqyron një konsensus të brendshëm brenda PD-së.
"Under these conditions, I think that this 'competition' is only a manifestation of the internal consensus for the acceptance of this political reality in the Democratic Party, while the delegitimization of rivals, based on the candidates' approach and rhetoric, shows a desire not to return the party to a new cycle of clashes," he added.
A party "captured" by its leader
Since Sali Berisha's reconfirmation as party chairman is considered almost certain, the main question remains whether he can win the upcoming local or parliamentary elections, considering that the Democratic Party has lost several times to Edi Rama's Socialists.
One of the main criticisms of his leadership is that the party's strong identification with the figure of Berisha has contributed to Rama's victories.
Ergys Mërtiri, a sociologist and political analyst based in Tirana, says that "the uncontested elections for the leadership of the Democratic Party show the complete capture of the party by its leader."
“He is determined not to allow any dissenting opinion, criticism or dissenting voice, or any attempt to discuss the real problems of the party, which is in the deepest crisis that a major party in this country has ever experienced,” Mertiri told BIRN.
“This means that the Democratic Party is heading towards a complete autocracy, far from being open to becoming a governing alternative,” he added.
Mërtiri believes that Berisha is, in fact, the main reason why the party is failing to win the elections.
“He fears that any reflection on the state of the party will lead to the articulation of undeniable truths, which show that the party is immersed in degradation and must change radically to return to the race for power – which means that Berisha must leave, as he is the person who keeps the party unable to compete,” said Mërtiri.
“Ultimately, it will be a party used as an 'oxygen tank' to keep Sali Berisha in politics, with no real possibility of challenging the Socialist Party in taking power,” he concluded.
Luljeta Progni agrees with the idea that a party that fails to develop a real competition for its leadership will find it difficult to convince the electorate that it can guarantee higher democratic standards in governing the country.
"For 13 years and about seven lost electoral battles, the opposition continues to exclude and ignore the competition, the confrontation of ideas and alternatives within it," she said.
"It seems that this leadership is more interested in managing the loss than building the victory," Progni added.
Note: This article was corrected to clarify that Salianji was convicted of falsely reporting former minister Fatmir Xhafaj. /BIRN
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