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Veliaj betrayed/ What does Lali's Facebook show?

Politiko 2025-04-23 14:40:27

After the Special Court of Appeal decided to keep Erion Veliaj in prison, it was as if they had thrown the keys into the sea. Contrary to what he expected in the four days of the final attack that were revealed through SPAK wiretaps, he was not able to be released from prison even in the second instance.

Rama's media, which wrote daily in his favor and against the prosecutors, no longer operate with the same intensity as before to produce news commanded from the cells of Durrës. Edi Rama, in a show of strength, removed his people from the management of the municipality to install his loyalists there, definitively taking control of the institution. The former pro-Lali deputies in the last parliament seem to no longer be likely to be winners on the SP list in Tirana. And finally, in a public appearance, not even his former closest friend and co-founder of Mjaft, Arbër Mazniku, dared to say a word against what Veliaj considered an unjust imprisonment by SPAK.

In short, for the omnipresent former mayor of Tirana, it seems as if the glory days are over. The only weapon he has to grudgingly hold on to what remains of his former fame is his Facebook page, which is managed by his brother, Arbëri, and a few of his last loyalists in the municipality. Through it, one can read the despair for the present and the struggle to keep the “bright past” alive.

Lapsi.al has reviewed, one by one, the posts made during the last forty days since the decision was made that he would remain in prison. Immediately after the court's decision, a post was made on his page accompanied by photos of how summer's day was celebrated in Tirana when the mayor was free. A few days later, there are illustrations of playgrounds that were built in Tirana during the decade of Veliaj's rule. When the national football team began the qualifiers for the World Cup, with the match in London, there were images posted of Veliaj celebrating with fans in Skanderbeg Square for the European Championship. Then, there are posts, all related to photos and events from the past, illustrating the establishment of kindergartens and parks, the restructuring of the Sami Frashëri gymnasium, the revitalization of neighborhood libraries and the innovation of bicycle lanes.

Another aspect is the attempt to still appear as mayor despite being in isolation. Thus, every event or commemorative day, from the death of Pope Francis, Bektashi Day or the re-election of Janullatos' successor, has been used to republish old videos and photos of Veliaj with these religious figures.

At the end of posts, such as those about planting the 1 millionth tree, a manipulation that the former mayor does not give up even where he is, there are phrases about "the great work that has been done in Tirana", "changing the face of the capital", its "transformation", "vision for the future", "passion" and "hard work".

Only after scanning this communication strategy do you realize that forgotten in prison, Veliaj has two objectives. One is to still appear as the acting mayor, now that he is aware that Rama has stripped him of any real power within the institution he led for a decade. And the second is that after the great stain he has received, with the emergence of hidden villas, beneficiaries of municipal tenders transformed into financiers of his wife's associations, after over 800 thousand euros spent alone on jewelry, dresses and underwear by Ajola Xoxa, he will give the message that not only has there been theft in Tirana, but work has also been done.

In this sense, Veliaj's Facebook page should be read as an attempt by someone who, after realizing that he has been killed as a politician, is trying to save what can be saved out of human honor./Lapsi.al