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"I have no ambitions for party leader, I want the Municipality of Tirana"/ Ilir Alimehmeti: I do not support Salianji, there would be a race if the conditions were met
2026-05-16 19:18:09 / POLITIKË
Member of the DP National Council and former candidate for MP in the last elections, Ilir Alimehmeti, distanced himself from the political discourse that former MP Ervin Salianji followed in the race for party chairman.
He also confessed his ambition for the Municipality of Tirana and not for the position of DP chairman, as he explained why he chose not to run for the May 23 elections.
While emphasizing that Salianji's non-candidate status was related to not meeting the criteria, on the show "This Week" on News24, he explained that he himself is in favor of a team and project-based competition, not an individual competition like Salianji chose.
As for the race with a single candidate, of current mayor Sali Berisha, Alimehmeti said that he sees it as a confirmation, although he admitted that a race with more than one candidate is more interesting.
"This situation for the DP is called a confirmation that there is no way it could be different with a single candidate, it is called reconfirmation. Certainly a race would have been an interesting race. I have never had any doubt that Mr. Berisha would not be confirmed in the race," he said.
Asked if there could be other figures for the competition, he said:
"There could definitely be other figures who could run, but to take the lead they would have to win the votes. We have had candidates before who won votes like in 2022 when we had Mr. Elezi of Kukës. For a winning platform, you would need a platform, with a team, and to run for many positions, because there are other positions. But it is a different kind of competition, different from the electoral one."
Alimehmeti was asked if he could have run for mayor himself in the May 23 elections. But he replied that he has no ambition to become shadow prime minister and that his objective is Tirana, meaning the upcoming local elections of 2027 for mayor of the capital under the Democratic Party (DP) banner.
"I understand the kindness, but the person concerned must have ambition. I do not have this ambition. I have another objective, I have clearly shown it for years. My objective has been directed towards Tirana. The ambition of the leader of the DP and tomorrow prime minister, is a different kind of issue, a competition, territorially broader. I think there are more advanced people. Another competition, it is another ambition that I do not have", said Alimehmeti.
Asked about Ervin Salianj's exclusion from the race for party chairman, Alimehmeti distanced himself, saying that he does not support the model the former MP chose to compete and his platform.
He also said that he would have agreed for Salianji to run, but the lack of criteria kept him out of the elections.
"The hardening of the tone is not positive, I do not see that reasoning as positive and I cannot support that reasoning. I think there would be no problem, he was a member of the Presidency, I did not see a problem, but there is a Commission that decides. Would there be a competition? There would definitely be a competition, but those conditions that I said were not met. The principle always goes in the team, it does not go in the competition for a single position, but it goes in the team and I see the competition for all positions, with a team. But the Presidency would decide. Would there be a competition? I think there would be, but it does not meet those conditions", he continued.
But does Alimehmeti see former MP Salianji as a party leader?
"Whether or not he could be party leader is a personal matter, it depends on the membership and based on the polls we have not seen this. The individual has one vote and the majority decides. Because the majority decides, it is the will of the majority, if the Socialist Party, for example, makes and votes on a law, I have to implement it, it is the will of the majority", said the Tirana municipal councilor.
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