TIRANA, July 22 /ATA/ Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha said at a meeting of the party’s parliamentary group that the government was attempting to suppress the citizens’ protest.
He said the government’s approach, as well as the stance of its supporters towards demonstrators, represented a serious act, describing the protest as an important civic reaction.
“This protest has exposed his true morality, face and character before the entire world,” Berisha said, accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama of using state institutions and the public administration to influence public perceptions of the protest.
According to him, the government has involved the police, intelligence services and public administration employees in creating what he called “fake accounts on social media” aimed at reducing the protest’s impact.
Responding to claims that the protest is having an impact on tourism, Berisha said the responsibility, according to him, rests with the government’s economic policies rather than with the demonstrations.
“The reality is that today, as never before, the country’s beaches are empty — not just half-empty, but much more than that — from Saranda to Shëngjin and further north,” he said.
Berisha cited the depreciation of the euro and rising costs for tourists as contributing factors, arguing that prices in Albania had become less competitive.
He also criticised government policies towards export-oriented industries, including the footwear and garment manufacturing sectors, accusing the government of damaging the business climate.
Berisha said that Albania’s image had also been affected by its approach towards Albanians in Kosovo and North Macedonia.
He went on to call on Democrats and opposition supporters to mobilise and support the protest.
“I warmly salute the tens of thousands of defiant Albanians who sustain this wave of freedom, and I call on Democrats across Tirana and Albania to support this protest with all the means at their disposal,” Berisha said.
He dismissed calls for a split within the opposition, arguing that the protest was undermining the government.
“This protest is marking the end of the worst leader Albania has had since Enver Hoxha,” Berisha said.
He described the protest as a just cause and called on Democratic Party structures to continue mobilising in support of it.
/gj.m/j.p/sm/
