TIRANA, May 17 /ATA/ Enkelejd Alibeaj resigned on Wednesday as acting chairman of the DP and head of its parliamentary group.
In a news conference at the DP headquarters, Alibeaj said: “I have been at the helm of the Democratic Party for more than a year now. I have led this party at the most difficult of times. When the survival of the party that brought pluralism in Albania was brought into question. It was about the survival of the Albanian right-wing party, of the Western and Euro-Atlantic values-oriented party. The proportional figures show that the Democratic Party managed to overcome this challenge, managed to survive and can now look to the future.”
“The May 14 elections brought about a monopoly of power – Rama kept almost all the municipalities that he had won without opponents four years ago. A year ago, when I met Sali Berisha in his office, I told him that with him at the helm, the Democrats are unlikely to win. That’s why I couldn’t follow him. That’s why I didn’t follow him and chose the path of resistance. On this occasion, I want to express my gratitude to all those democrats who put the fate of the party, of our political family above close and mediocre interests and deals. Navigating through difficult times takes a strength of character. You have proven this”, he said.
“The May 14 elections were marred by serious problems: pressure on the administration, use of strongmen, use of oligarchs, flawed electronic system, etc. But, first of all, we have to look at ourselves. We must seriously analyze the ripple effects of the Democratic Party’s split-up on the outcome of the elections. We must properly evaluate the work done on the ground by the party structures, everyone’s commitment, everyone’s contribution, to understand what went wrong and what went right,” he said.
“As a sign of reflection and responsibility, I have decided to step down as the acting head of the party and also as the parliamentary group chairman. The party must be restructured in a capillary way, based on democratic principles, as I repeatedly emphasized during the electoral campaign. The party must have new rules, new principles to break with Berisha-style past and build an alliance with great potentials for 2025 elections,” Alibeaj stressed.
“We need to reach out not only to the Democrats, but also to those citizens disappointed by the politics of 30 years, who constitute the silent majority in the country. This, however, cannot be done by a single person – even the leader.
I am stepping down to pave the way for a collegial direction of the party, at this stage that lays the foundations for the future. It was the party leadership decision that I had to hold the position until after the local elections. Now that the elections are over, I am stepping down to exercise my duty and responsibility towards the Democrats, as vice-head and member of the Democratic Party leadership,” he said.
/sm/
