mandate-SP-protests – Albanian Telegraphic Agency.

Rama says SP will not relinquish mandate received from majority

Sonila Mehmeti — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 19:14:38 +0000

TIRANA, July 30 /ATA/ Prime Minister Edi Rama presented a new document titled “Loyal Presence” during a meeting on Thursday with Socialist Party political leaders and parliamentary committee chairs, describing it as an annex to the previously unveiled “Besa” document.

Rama pointed to examples of political parties around the world that have maintained long-term political dominance, urging the Socialist Party to adopt successful practices while steering clear of past mistakes.

Rama said the legitimate question raised by some is why the party should remain in power after 13 years in government.

“However, we need to distinguish two issues that are not the same. One is why we should step down today, and the other is why we want to earn the right to continue tomorrow,” he said.

“First, it may seem surprising that this needs to be stated, but apparently it does: this is democracy. A political party does not inherit the reins of power, nor does it hold them as a permanent possession, but neither should it be expected to give them up simply because others want to take over,” Rama said.

The Prime Minister said that “the Socialist Party exercises power in accordance with the Constitution, and for as long as it has been entrusted with that mandate by the people and holds the votes in Parliament to deliver on the commitments it made before them.”

“They claim to speak on behalf of the people, and even go as far as to say that they are the people themselves. We are the people. Listen to the people. The people have come out. But let us be clear: under the law and democratic practice, neither they nor we here represent the people as a whole, and no individual or group, regardless of who they are, can claim to be the people. We are all merely parts of the broader society. We can represent the people or speak in their name only when they grant us that mandate through the Constitution. Otherwise, we speak only for ourselves or for those who have entrusted us with representing a particular interest, but not in the name of the people,” Rama said.

Rama said that “even I, despite holding a formally granted mandate to represent Albania on behalf of the people, cannot claim to speak in their name on matters that only the people themselves can decide: who should govern and who should be in opposition. That decision belongs solely to the people, expressed through their vote and through the representatives they choose.”

He added that, “for example, I have the right to decide for myself whether to heed or ignore the demands and calls of a group outside my office chanting: ‘Rama resign!’”

“I like that chant, and it gives me so much energy that, to be honest, I sometimes find myself thinking I could even turn it into another song. But beyond the chant itself, stepping down from a position entrusted by the majority just because a minority is shouting in unison is neither a mark of leadership, nor institutional responsibility, nor intellectual humility. It would simply be an abandonment of a major responsibility.

“Leaving the country’s leadership today and abandoning the historic mission that fate has placed on our shoulders would also amount to an unforgivable disregard for a great national duty. So let everyone chant whenever they wish; eventually, they will stop,” Rama said.

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