A dictatorship where opposition leaders are arrested is the panorama of Albania that Sali Berisha exposed at the meeting with the group of European People's Parties in Strasbourg. Invited to the meeting of the EPP group, Berisha informed his European friends about the arrests of opposition leaders and exponents, where as he said all legal actions against them are politically motivated. According to him, legal repression does not only affect opposition leaders, but also citizens.
"If you look at Albania, it is a country where the presumption of innocence no longer exists. 67 percent of those arrested are in pre-trial detention. They just arrest them and throw them in prison. This is the truth in this country. Torture is common, deaths in Albanian prisons are common. Ladies and gentlemen, Albania is emerging as a state with drug cartels and organized crime," Berisha said.
Berisha also informed the EPP MEPs about what he calls violations of the Electoral Code by Prime Minister Edi Rama, but promised that the democrats will fight, and therefore requested international assistance to overthrow the government.
"During these weeks, the prime minister himself will give 100 euros to every pensioner as a gift for the vote. In addition to this, there is cannabis for the vote, he has distributed 148 licenses to plant cannabis throughout the country. He does not respect any law of the Electoral Code. These are, this is the panorama of Albania, the situation we are in. Now, what are our options? We have to fight, fight, fight. In a dictatorship, you have no other option. But whatever help this institution can provide, we are very grateful," Berisha added.
The leader of the Republicans, Fatmir Mediu, underlined the importance of ensuring that international partners' attention is not lacking towards developments in Albania.
"About 2 months ago, the EPP presented a resolution on the situation in Albania, corruption, vote buying, voter intimidation, and you are the same group. We appreciate that you have the same position as the EPP (parliamentary) group. Also, the IDU at the Washington convention presented concerns about the situation in Albania. So all the international communities. Now we also have the American Congress that is closely watching what is happening in Albania. Your presence during the elections, but also your position and statements, will help us to have free and fair elections. Without free and fair elections, we cannot have democracy in Albania," said Fatmir Mediu.
His promise of zero tolerance for crime and corruption appears to have been embraced by Europeans, with the leader of the European People's Party group in Strasbourg, Pablo Hispan, guaranteeing the support of Europe's largest political organization.
"As you know, you have our greatest support and the group wishes you success, with the conviction that you will win in the upcoming elections. We will bring a large delegation from the European People's Parties to supervise the elections, to support democracy and transparency for the Albanian people", said the leader of the EPP group, Hispan.
The leader of the Albanian opposition also held other meetings during his stay in Strasbourg, during which he informed his partners about the Albanian reality and sought their support for the May 11 challenge. (A2 Televizion)
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