Speaking at a weekly rally outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Tirana, Berisha said Albanian citizens had shown they would not surrender.

He said tens of thousands of people gathered on the capital’s main boulevard last week to express their discontent and demonstrate that they remain “the hope of this country.”

“I have deep and boundless respect for the tens of thousands of citizens who filled Tirana’s boulevard on May 8 and became the reflection, the moral force and the true image of Albanians everywhere,” Berisha said.

Berisha said the protest was intended to send a message to “every free citizen in Europe and the world” that Albanians would not accept what he called a regime that turns elections into a farce.

He also accused the government of using legal proceedings against opposition leaders during the election year to intimidate political opponents and influence the electoral process.

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Berisha compared the current political situation to dictatorial regimes, claiming that in such systems elections are a sham because votes “die before reaching the ballot box.”

He said the opposition faces a decisive moment in shaping the country’s future and argued that authoritarian regimes are only overthrown through popular revolt.

“Nothing will determine the fate of the Democratic Party, of Albania, and the Albanian nation more than fulfilling our mission to overturn this regime. Authoritarian and even totalitarian regimes can only be overturned by popular revolt. Anyone who believes they can be removed through elections deceives themselves,” Berisha said.

He also highlighted Albania’s demographic challenges, noting that from 2014 to 2023, 1.1 million Albanians, including roughly 700,000 young people, immigrated to Europe.

Berisha claimed that nearly half of Albanians now face financial difficulties, compared with higher relative earnings in 2013. He added that the opposition has successfully presented Albania’s situation on the international stage.

Berisha also raised concerns about the rule of law, citing the lack of institutional response to the prosecution’s request to lift the immunity and arrest Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku.

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During a communication with citizens in the social media, Berisha pointed at the investigation being conducted by the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime against Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, also Minister of Infrastructure and Energy.

“Rama closed the legal pathway. After he overcame the Constitutional Court, he closes the follow-up legal pathway on Balluku. So, the only legal and constitutional solution is the Albanian citizens going on revolt”, said Berisha.

According to him, the citizens have the right in law, constitution and morality, to take every step and use every means to remove this government.

Speaking about the protest announced by the opposition on December 22, Berisha stressed that on Monday, citizens will give an ultimatum to Edi Rama.

“From Monday’s protest, citizens express their revolt and give an ultimatum to Edi Rama. Edi Rama’s resignation is the condition for Albania to regain the peace it deserves,” he added.

Berisha stressed that, “These unimaginable abuses are a call for every Albanian to stand up against this criminal organization.”

“This is a very difficult process, an ongoing process, in which Balluku is being protected by Edi Rama in order to destroy any kind of documentation, but there is no doubt that they will be seized and returned to the citizens,” Berisha said. /m.m/a.f/p.s./

Basha wrote in his reaction in the social media that, “40 years after the Qafë Bari revolt, every Albanian feels the revolt against injustices, feels the embracement of not doing enough not only for the most suffering strata of that regime, but also in regard to people’s expectations for freedom, democracy and well-being”.

“On this anniversary, we pay tribute to the heroism of the two martyrs of the Qafë Bari revolt, Sokol Sokol and Tomë Ndoja, who became the embodiment of sacrifice for freedom, and of their comrades and co-sufferers, protagonists in this marked event “, said Basha.

According to the democratic leader, the DP will do the utmost to make the aspiration for a better Albania a reality for the Albanians.

“The Democratic Party of Albania will do the utmost to fulfill the aspirations of every Albanian for a better, freer and more prosperous Albania. Glory forever to the heroes of the Qafë Bari revolt”, added Basha.

There were 500 political prisoners sentenced to over 25 years in prison in Qafe Bari prison, and as a result of the bad conditions and violence, the prisoners broke out in revolt on May 22, 1984.

Qafe Bari prison was located 18 km away from the city of Puka. The prisoners refused to go to work until their demands were met. Further on, there were heard the calls: Down with communism! Down with the dictatorship! Down with the dictator!

The armed forces surrounded the prison and received the order to fire on the prisoners./p.s./

Head of State, accompanied by the First Lady Armanda Begaj, joined the activities organized on this occasion by the Diocese of Rrëshen and the Municipality of Mirditë, in cooperation with institutions and organizations engaged in the field of education and preservation of historical memory.

In his speech, President Begaj focused on respect and estimation for all those who under communism sacrificed for freedom.

“Pal Zefi, Skënder Daja, Dervish Bejko, Hajri Pashai, Dashnor Kazazi, Jorgji Pepa, and many, many others that I am not mentioning, are just some of those names who made their sacrifice to show that even after death, hope does not die!” – said President Begaj.

“The most important thing is to build the future, apologizing for the mistakes of the past, and completely detaching ourselves from the shadow of the darkest period of our nation”, said Begaj.

At the end of his speech, President Begaj expressed his deep respect and gratitude for all the martyrs of this revolt”.

“On this historical day, the survivors of the Spaç Revolt are the best example that, despite all the suffering they have experienced, they convey tolerance, wisdom, hope and kindness. Therefore, and for all your struggles, our society owes you a great debt,” the President concluded. /m.m/p.s./