Together with Tomorr Alizoti, the political leader for Elbasan, Berisha held a meeting on Saturday with pensioners at the “Turizmi” hotel in Elbasan.

Berisha stated that in a properly functioning market economy, poverty does not rise, but decreases gradually, while wealth is not concentrated, but spreads evenly over time.

“If we refer to the inflation of basic products and medicines, the increase in inflation is 3.7 times higher than the general inflation rate, for which pensions have been indexed,” said Berisha, while citing Montenegro as an example, stating that its pensions are 310 percent higher than those of Albania.

Berisha assured that under the next government, Albanian citizens will have higher wages and pensions compared to the rest of the region.

“We will set the minimum wage at 500 euros in the first place, and the average wage at 1,200 euros. We will implement a scaling and full adjustment of energy, water, and services. In this way, with an emergency intervention, we believe we will alleviate the suffering caused by the government’s stance on wages and pensions,” he emphasized.

He stated, “The money is available, but the distribution will be entirely different.”

“Therefore, we have decided to set the vital minimum at 200 euros for every Albanian in the first year as the initial step. On top of this 200 euros, we will calculate the pensions. I would prioritize the citizens before the projects,” he continued.

/sm/