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'European Passport': How is Edi Rama using EU integration as an electoral card?
With three weeks left until the official opening of the electoral campaign for the May 11 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Edi Rama has begun articulating his theses in search of a fourth mandate in government. On Thursday, Rama published on his social networks a poster with the number 5, which shows the Socialist Party's ranking on the ballot, asking for votes in exchange for the promise of a "European passport" for Albanians.
"With just one vote for me and the SP on May 11, every parent has the power to give their children the passport of an Albanian citizen of the European Union, and not let them grow up as second-class citizens in the middle of Europe," Rama propagated on Facebook, using the European Union flag as a symbol.
Using the EU integration process as an electoral card, Prime Minister Rama calls on citizens to vote for the Socialist Party, as the only force, according to him, that can bring the country into the EU, unilaterally promising to conclude negotiations in 2027.
The integration process is a more technical one and depends on fulfilling the criteria set by Brussels for the Albanian government. Currently, Albania is at the beginning of the path to membership, after the decision was taken in December to open negotiations on the first group of chapters, the so-called “Foundations”, which include the rule of law and democratic institutions.
This process, which has dragged on for two decades since the Stabilization and Association Agreement in 2005, has been hindered or stalled in most cases due to internal political conflicts, the lack of will to fight crime and corruption, and the failure to hold elections according to democratic standards.
For the opposition and political experts, Rama's use of the integration thesis as an electoral thesis is not based on reality and, according to them, shows the sterility of a program after a long time in power.
"The integration process is being used for campaigning at a time when we are in the phase of opening group chapters," says Jorida Tabaku, a Democratic Party MP and chair of the Parliamentary Integration Committee.
Tabaku told BIRN that the opposition had a clear request to European Commission representatives that there should be no Albania-EU intergovernmental conferences during the election period due to their use in an electoral manner.
"The integration process has not made any progress in 12 years and these people claim that what they have not done in 12 years they will do in 1 year," Tabaku stressed, insisting that Rama's promised deadline for the European passport in 2027 is unrealistic.
“Nuk ka për ta marrë çfarëdo që të bëjnë, sepse ashtu siç tha Komisonierja për Zgjerimin; nuk ka rëndësi sa grup-kapituj hap, po sa prej tyre mbyll,” shtoi ajo.
Edhe Arlind Qori, kryetar i partisë “Lëvizja Bashkë” mendon se Rama e ka zgjedhur “në mënyrë të pandershme” procesin e integrimit si kartë elektorale dhe po e përdor atë për të mbuluar skandalet korruptive dhe dështimet e qeverisjes.
“Rama është një kryeministër shterpë në ide. Vizioni i tij zhvillimor nuk shkon dot përtej pastrimit të parave të pista në sektorin e ndërtimit. Ndaj këtë shterpësi dhe korrupsion orvatet ta mbulojë përmes gjesteve teatrale apo legjitimitetit fals që vjen prej organizimeve ndërkombëtare,” tha Qori për BIRN.
Sipas Qorit, një proces i shëndoshë i integrimit duhet të vijë prej përfshirjes së të gjithë shoqërisë dhe jo të instrumentalizohej për arsye elektorale. Gjithsesi, ai beson se premtimet për pasaporta europiane nuk do të japin rezultat në zgjedhje.
“Dikur luante rol edhe një foto me përfaqësues ndërkombëtarë. Tanimë jo. Qytetarët duan në radhë të parë që Shqipëria të bëhet e jetueshme, të kemi një model të qëndrueshëm zhvillimi dhe shërbime publike cilësore,” theksoi Qori.
Përdorimi politik i integrimit
Kryeministri Edi Rama erdhi në pushtet në vitin 2013 me premtime të tjera, të cilat lidheshin me luftën kundër korrupsionit, shëndetësinë falas, përmbylljen e procesit të legalizimeve apo taksën progresive dhe forcimin e shtetit. Ai i fitoi zgjedhjet pas një koalicioni me Ilir Metën, ish-aleatin e Berishës në qeveri, por 4 vite më vonë në 2017-ën u kërkoi votat shqiptarëve për të qeverisur i vetëm, duke e akuzuar aleancën me Metën se kishte përdorur pushtetin si një ‘tepsi’ për korrupsion.
Ndërsa në vitin 2021, Rama përdori reformën në drejtësi si kalin e betejës elektorale, e cila sapo kishte nisur të jepte frytet e para pas ngritjes së institucionet e reja të drejtësisë.
Sot kur bilanci i kësaj reforme ka çuar pas hekurave për korrupsion disa nga bashkëpunëtorët më të ngushtë të Ramës në ekzekutiv dhe së fundmi dhe kryebashkiakun e Tiranës Erion Veliaj, kryeministri ka zgjedhur t’u ofrojë shqiptarëve “ëndrrën europiane”.
Në fushatën elektorale të vitit 2013, ish-kryeministri i asaj kohe, Sali Berisha u fut në zgjedhje me një tezë të ngjashme dhe me avantazh vendimin e Bashkimit Europian për të liberalizuar vizat me Shqipërinë. Por Berisha i humbi zgjedhjet.
Sipas ekspertit të politikës, Ervis Iljazaj, pedagog i Shkencave Politike pranë Universitetit Europian të Tiranës, procesi i integrimit gjithmonë është përdorur nga politika shqiptare gjatë tranzicionit, sepse klasa politike luan me ëndrrën e shqiptarëve për t’u bërë qytetarë europianë.
“Although the integration process has been long, exhausting and very difficult, Albanians still demand to be part of the EU with full rights. In this sense, this time too the integration process is being used for political interests,” he told BIRN.
But, according to Iljazaj, the integration cards Rama is playing are not decisive for the popular consensus. He believes that there are several reasons why Rama suddenly turned this process into an electoral thesis after 12 years in power, which are related to his lack of new ideas and a geopolitical factor that favors the integration of Albania.
"Now that Albania has opened negotiations, the geopolitical context is favorable and Rama wants to use Albania's integration into the EU as his merit," said Iljazaj, also emphasizing the contradiction in the prime minister's positions, such as: "when Albania was taking negative decisions from the EU, it was Europe's fault, while now that European integration really has a chance, this is the merit of the Government."
Iljazaj also believes that Rama is playing this card, because after 12 years in government and with full power, he has nothing more to promise. On the other hand, he sees the political game with the integration process as harmful to the process itself, which requires "cooperation and not conflict."
“Of course, this conflicting approach to domestic politics affects Albania-Brussels relations, as EU officials seek a cooperative climate for integration and not use this issue for electoral reasons,” Iljazaj concluded./ BIRN
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