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Albanian diaspora reacts to Erion Veliaj's arrest: Important step against corruption

Politiko 2025-02-11 17:05:15

Albanian diaspora reacts to Erion Veliaj's arrest: Important step against

The arrest of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj has sparked strong reactions from the opposition and the Albanian community in the diaspora. The Democratic Party Victory Coalition 2025 in Michigan has welcomed the development, calling it an important step in the fight against corruption at the highest levels of government.

In their statement, they praise the opposition, especially former MP Belind Këlliçi, for his role in denouncing the corruption scandals that led to this decision. According to them, the criminalization of public life, mass emigration, and the spread of corruption are clear indicators of the decline of Edi Rama and the Socialist Party's power.

The coalition calls on the Democratic Party and other opposition forces to demand the resignation of the Prime Minister and the formation of a caretaker government. They also appeal to SPAK to continue the investigations into the chain of government corruption without delay.

The statement also mentions the appointment of Chris LaCivita as the opposition's campaign manager, with the belief that his experience will help the Democratic Party win in the upcoming elections. According to them, Donald Trump's victory in the US will also have a positive impact on Albania.

Full statement:

DEMOCRATIC PARTY VICTORY COALITION 2025
February 11, 2025

1. The Democratic Party Victory Coalition 2025 welcomes the arrest of the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj. For a long time, the Albanian public and state structures have been aware of possible reasons to believe that Veliaj was involved in active and passive corruption. The coalition welcomes and appreciates the persistence of Democratic Party officials, in particular former MP Belind Këlliçi, in denouncing and presenting to the public the facts and corrupt offers, which led to the arrest of Erion Veliaj. The increase in corruption at high ministerial, parliamentary, local, etc. levels. and legal protection against it, the extreme decline in the economic level and honest work, the criminalization of the life of the population in general, through the permission of fictitious work, the cultivation and trafficking of narcotics and other trafficking, the frightening decline in the population through emigration, the arrest of Mayor Velijaj, which follows the arrest, conviction or imprisonment of dozens of officials close to Prime Minister Rama, including ministers, deputies, municipal leaders, etc., are clear indicators of the fall and bankruptcy of the power of Edi Rama and the Socialist Party. In these dramatic conditions for Albania, we call on the Democratic Party and the opposition forces to strongly demand the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and the creation of a technical government. 2. We Albanian Americans in Michigan, appeal to the anti-corruption structure SPAK, to continue with the investigation and arrest of the entire chain of corruption within the government and other administrative links. The silence, inaction or delay in the investigations of persons who have been publicly identified and denounced by the Democratic Party as being connected to crime, equates SPAK with crime itself. We remind the leaders of SPAK that this structure and their salaries are financed with American taxpayer money, and therefore with our taxes as Albanian-Americans, therefore we demand an accounting. Selective legal proceedings and the instrumentalization of SPAK as a weapon in the hands of the government, to silence and persecute opposition leaders must end. SPAK's failure to treat every citizen as equal before the law is a misuse of the duty they have received from American funding and an abuse of the power they have received as a structure of the Albanian state .

3. We welcome the start of work as Campaign Manager of our American friend Chris LaCivita. We believe that his experience as a strategist of Donald Trump's victory will be effective in the campaign of victory of the Democratic Party and the future Prime Minister Dr. Sali Berisha. LaCivita faced and successfully came out through a model campaign against the media and the most powerful billionaires in the world. LaCivita has won the battle with George Soros once and will win it again. Yesterday, we clearly distinguished the reduction and deflation of the almighty, the invincible, the strong, the magnificent, "Skënderbeu of Spiropali" Edi Rama, whom LaCivita made a puppet and nothing more. We are confident that the victory and justice of Donald Trump will radiate victory and justice in Albania as well.