Criticism increases/ Former SP Minister: The President should be elected by Congress, not strengthen personal power

 

Former Socialist Minister Ermelinda Meksi has joined the open debate by former MP Ilir Zela on the need to reform the Socialist Party, calling for more internal democracy, meritocracy, and space for dissent.

In a public reaction, Meksi assesses that the concerns raised by Zela touch on a fundamental problem for the future of the SP: its ability to renew itself and reflect on criticism.
According to her, a party that does not self-correct and does not renew its structures risks becoming disconnected from its membership and from social reality.

The former minister proposes the return of periodic elections for leadership forums every four years, arguing that the National Assembly should stem from the will of Congress delegates and not from automatic memberships that, according to her, dilute democratic representation.

At the end of her reaction, Meksi emphasizes that the Socialist Party needs more collegiality and new energy, inviting the new generations of socialists to engage in a renewal process that, according to her, must preserve the best values ​​on which the Albanian left is built.

Full reaction:

I join your reflection Ilir Zela, which raises a fundamental issue: the democratization of the Socialist Party cannot remain a mere slogan, but must be transformed into a real political and statutory process.

The main message of this proposal is related to the aim of avoiding the risk that threatens a political organization like the Socialist Party, that of losing the ability to self-correct. A party that does not reflect on itself, that does not open itself to criticism and that does not renew its internal mechanisms, risks losing its connection with its membership and with society.

If we want a more open, more representative, and more capable SP of responding to the challenges of the time, we need courage to return to those principles that once guaranteed balance, representation, and internal legitimacy, through elections and the renewal of SP structures every 4 years.

The National Assembly should be a product of the will of Congress delegates and not be built on ex officio memberships that dilute the weight of democratic election. Deputies and mayors have important public responsibilities, but they cannot replace the will of the membership and the party's representative forums. Even more so when a large part of the deputies are the product of closed lists, which further weakens their direct connection to the base.

Equally important is the review of the method of electing the chairman.
The experience of recent years has shown that the “one member, one vote” model, in the absence of real competition and the inequality of political instruments, did not necessarily produce more internal democracy. On the contrary, it often became a mechanism that further strengthened the chairman’s power over the party. The chairman must receive his legitimacy from Congress, every 4 years, through open debate, fair competition and the confrontation of alternatives.

The Socialist Party needs more collegiality, more debate, more meritocracy, and more space for dissent. Only in this way can it regain the energy, trust, and role it has historically had in the political life of the country.

Young and experienced socialists like you, but also the younger generation that carries energy and new ideas, have the capacity to initiate and lead this process of renewal. Time requires courage to change and wisdom to preserve the best values ​​on which the Socialist Party was built.