TIRANA, Oct 28 /ATA/ – Main opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader Sali Berisha on Wednesday accused the government of seeking to deflect responsibility for corruption by portraying the ruling party and the opposition as indistinguishable.
Speaking at a meeting of the DP parliamentary group, Berisha thanked lawmakers, party members, students and supporters who took part in recent protests and condemned what he described as police violence against demonstrators. He said none of those subjected to violence had engaged in violent acts.
Referring to protests held in early June, dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution,” Berisha said the main opposition party had refrained from trying to take control of the demonstrations or divide them, in respect for their civic character.
He accused Prime Minister Edi Rama and former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku of influencing the protests, saying organisers controlling the microphone had allowed only speakers using the slogan “Rama in prison, Berisha in prison” to address demonstrators.
“From June until today, the most anti-Albanian and anti-democratic argument has been that the two parties are the same,” Berisha said, arguing that such comparisons served to shield the government from accountability for corruption and the misuse of public funds.
He rejected comparisons between the government and the opposition, accusing those making them of seeking to obscure scandals and undermine public confidence in the ballot box.
“They want to kill hope. They are the killers of hope. They are hunters of Albanians’ hopes,” Berisha said, in a forceful attack on those he accused of seeking to discredit the opposition.
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