TIRANA, June 1 /ATA/ PM Edi Rama has written his seventh open letter which this time is not addressed to DP head Luzim Basha.
Democrat fellow- citizens,
Today the SP kicks off the campaign for June 30 elections. While the party you are affiliated with or have voted and supported will not take part in elections.
Unfortunately, not only for you but also for the country, your political leadership is following a blind alley out of fear of elections, panic over justice and threats and desperate attempts to the detriment of Albania and any Albanian interested in social peace, economic development, full-fledged integration in EU.
In essence, irreversible boycott of parliament, incitement to violence, boycott of elections are an escape from the mission, the functioning and values of a democratic party. I am genuinely regretful for this.
I am not the one you want to see at the helm of the country. You have not voted for me and today I am not asking you to vote me, all I hope is for you to read this letter.
When we decided to live in a multiparty system and aspired to join Europe, we challenged a long-standing history, not at all generous with democratic tradition. We embarked on a completely new course of democracy after a quarter of a century living in communist dictatorship and a lifestyle imposed on us outside our control, whereby the political adversary was merely a foe to be fought mercilessly and eliminated without hesitation.
To this day, our political life suffers from incapacity to respect the rival without mutilating him in public, going on attacks transgressing any ethical norm which turn out to be degrading to the roots and kinship. However, we have overcome a serious phase when political opponents used to be beaten up or when protests turned violent because the state weaponry were used against protesters or police reaction against them spiraled into mass aggression.
Although the unfortunate comeback of violent protests has shown that we have not taken steps forward in political civilization, we have made significant progress in the govt.’s approach and attitude of State Police workforce towards protesters. So far so good.
Several thousands from you have joined the party protests recently and many others support them although based on our surveys and independent ones conducted by our international partners, the majority of democrat respondents disapprove of the act of relinquishing the mandates and the boycott of elections, the acts of violence in protests and boycott of elections by your leader either.
What’s more, you were not asked about these extreme political decisions which translate into political suicide, still it is not my intention to tell you what to do with your leadership which has lost sight as it always tends to look the other way.
None of you, me either, have imagined that one day your party, emerged from the first pluralist elections as a parliamentary party would walk out of parliament and boycott the elections. Such a big surprise and degradation as well! Today by a sovereign decision of that party’s leadership it is a reality and we have no opportunity to undo such a negative development.
Elections are a non-negotiable constitutional right of all those wanting to elect their representatives and a compulsory constitutional obligation of all those intending to get elected.
You leadership does not want to take part in elections because it fears the next electoral defeat. On the other hand, we cannot breach the obligation because we aim to get elected in the upcoming elections.
I have often listened to the question: Is it possible to hold democratic elections without the opposition?
Democratic elections are meant to make sure that anyone is entitled to be elected. If exclusion in whatever form of the opposition from elections renders them anti-democratic, self-exclusion of a political party from elections does not render them non-democratic.
Local elections will take place in 61 municipalities across the country on June 30. We will do our best to give Kukes, Shkodra, Kamza, Lezha, Devolli, Mallakastra and so on and so forth, to all blue municipalities, the governance they have lacked so far, whether or not you will go to the polls.
/e.caushi/sm/
