The Chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, participated in the IDU summit in Brussels, where he also delivered a speech.
During his speech, Berisha accused Prime Minister Edi Rama's government of stealing the May 11 elections, writes A2 CNN.
Berisha also sought the support of internationals, so that, according to him, Albanians can vote freely.
He also added that the solidarity of the international community is crucial for this cause to be won, writes A2 CNN.
Excerpt from Berisha's speech:
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
I want to inform the IDU Executive Board that the elections of May 11, 2025 in Albania were a clear, foreshadowed farce, a massive farce, foreseen in the IDU resolution, in the EPP resolution, in the CDI resolutions and in other international positions.
These elections took place in a climate of unprecedented political terror, where the Prime Minister, who now leads a narco-state, the first and only narco-state in Europe, in order to secure a fourth mandate, put three leaders of the main opposition parties in prison, under house arrest or under criminal prosecution, stripped mayors of their mandates, and imprisoned opposition MPs.
Secondly, as the narco-state that it is, Albania became a tool of criminal organizations that were widely used to secure votes for the Prime Minister. In his office there is a person who coordinates the activity of Albanian criminal organizations inside and outside the country. In these elections, these individuals were tasked with bringing 28 deputies to Parliament through payments and terror. In fact, today the most voted people are anonymous candidates of these gangs and criminal organizations.
To win, the Prime Minister turned the entire administration and the state into a huge electoral machine. Public funds were used to buy votes. Specifically, each pensioner was given 100 euros as a "gift" in the middle of the election campaign, as a gift from the Prime Minister. But, ladies and gentlemen, pensioners today make up 48% of the electorate in Albania, after about 600,000 young people have left in 10 years.
Also, two days before the elections, the Prime Minister announced an amnesty for all fines and 10-year interest, totaling over 200 million euros. Public administration employees were put under pressure, each was required to secure 10 votes from their family and circle. They were used as patrons in an old Stalinist dictatorial system, where voters were controlled in every way and offices were set up near polling stations to exert pressure.
The elections, I repeat, were held in a narco-state. During the campaign, the Prime Minister issued 138 licenses for the planting of tens of thousands of cannabis roots, where one root in Albania is worth about 1,000 euros, used the drug for votes. Also, massive hiring was carried out in the central and local administration and public enterprises for electoral purposes.
He financed a private organization with 7 million euros for the Giro d'Italia event, which was held on election day and the day before, purely as propaganda. Complete control was exercised over all four national media outlets. He blocked TikTok, becoming the third person after Habibullah of Kabul and the Ayatollah of Tehran to do so, just to avoid criticism.
We are grateful that these actions have been reflected by international observers such as the OSCE, the European Parliament, and the Council of Europe, who issued a very serious report.
mr. President, the elections were a farce. If we do not give back the right to vote to Albanians, the country is disappearing. According to Eurostat, in the last 10 years, over 1,099,000 Albanians have left for the European Union.
Thank you once again for the very valuable support you have shown. I ask again for support from the governments, from the IDU, the EPP, the CDI and the governments in power so that my nation can vote freely. Of course, we will make every effort, but international solidarity is crucial to winning.
Thank you very much! (A2 Televizion)
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MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
