"In 2013, the SP stole my votes with the full approval of the DP"/ Arben Malaj: Why I am against the patronage scheme

Former Minister of Finance, Arben Malaj, has stated that the theft of votes by the majority is also done with the approval of opposition representatives on the counting commissions.

Malaj made the comments in the studio of the show 'Off the Record' with journalist Andrea Danglli on A2 CNN, where he said that in 2013 when he ran as an independent candidate in Vlora, his votes were stolen by the SP with the full approval of the DP.

Malaj added that he was against the patronage system that the Socialist Party has established, as according to him, this is fueling clientelism and the lack of meritocracy in jobs in the state.

"It's not just about the SP. I ran as an independent in Vlora in 2013. The votes were stolen with the full approval of the representatives of the Democratic Party. Even the votes that are being stolen now are not stolen because the DP cannot protect them. But those who represent the DP in these commissions are the first ones focused on by the majority to buy them.

Political corruption is not simply something that the SP's patronageists do, and I am totally against the patronageist scheme, because they have now been fed the habit of saying, 'don't fire me because I'm a patronageist' whenever a problem arises.

"When they want a completely undeserved career, they say 'I was a patronageist'. No country is built with patronageists. They are the core supporters of political parties, but not by feeding them the political drug of 'steal as much as you can so I can reward you later'," Malaj said, among other things. 

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