In a televised interview, Kushi said that the tense situation was incited by opposition.

“This is an event that happens for the first time in so many years. I was born and raised in that city and for us Summer Day is the most popular, most beautiful and traditional festival that unites people, regardless of religious and political beliefs. What defines this holiday is the hospitality and civility and exactly these two values were stained yesterday. It has not happened, as far as I remember, for a political force to tarnish the holiday. The citizens of Elbasan have also remained very indignant at what took place yesterday, because our most beautiful holiday has been besmirched. This event was very hideous and unprecedented. Summer Day celebration is meant to bring the people together instead of causing divide. We welcome not only Albanians but also foreigners to join the celebrations.”

Kushi said that “it is clear that Lulzim Basha had come with a political agenda in Elbasan, as the meetings were of political nature, which has not happened before.”

“Lulzim Basha was accompanied by a long convoy, a lot of people, breaching all the rules of the Covid protocol, which was unprecedented. We suspect it was all orchestrated in advance,” she said.

Kushi said, “SP and I always distance ourselves from the acts of violence. We never stand up for violence, we stand up for peace. These kinds of events are ugly and we disassociate ourselves from them.”

Regarding the lists for April 25 elections, Kushi said that “to my knowledge no one on the SP lists has had criminal records in the past. The law in Albania is very clear in this regard. We never support individuals who have a criminal history or problems in the past.”

Kushi appealed to all political forces not to provoke tensions and similar situations during their electoral meetings.

Açka: Sad event, it does no good to no one

Even the Democratic Party candidate in the region of Elbasan, Flutura Açka, stated that “it was a sad event, it does not honor any party.”

“The citizens of Elbasan expect us to do better. It is unacceptable that Elbasan, the hearth of education and one of the most important centers of Albanian cultures, is mentioned for gangs. I am glad that the Minister distanced herself from these acts, I hope it is a candid stand on her side. I invite her to have a coffee together to show that the elections in Elbasan will be normal. Young people should not be made a scapegoat for our seats in parliament. I was present. Everything evolved in a few seconds. I am an eyewitness to what happened. I do not think the group of citizens was prepared for provocation, ” said Açka.
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