Financial Times / Rama wins fourth term: the creation of a cosmetic pluralism is at risk

Financial Times

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama is poised to win a fourth consecutive term in parliamentary elections, after running a campaign focused on the country's membership in the European Union by 2030.
Preliminary counts and exit polls on Monday show Rama's Socialist Party will retain its majority in parliament, ahead of the right-wing Democratic Party, led by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who attempted a political comeback styled after Donald Trump's MAGA movement.

Final results are expected on Tuesday. According to an exit poll published by the Albanian Post, the Socialists are expected to secure around 52% of the vote, while the Democratic Party around 38%, with the rest divided among several smaller parties.
Turnout in the election was 42.2%, although for the first time, the diaspora was allowed to vote.

Rama's parliamentary majority, although below the two-thirds threshold needed for constitutional changes, will be crucial to fulfilling the reforms required for EU membership. Albania joined NATO in 2009 but has struggled to accelerate its pace towards the European Union.

“Nothing and no one will be able to stop the European destiny of Albanians,” Rama said over the weekend, noting that the country has opened negotiation chapters in 24 out of 35 areas with the European Commission.

But some observers warned that as Rama — a former basketball player and painter turned politician — enters his fourth term, the first in Albania's post-communist history, there is a risk of his power further consolidating.

“We have an old sheriff with even more muscle — a kind of paradox, when in fact independent institutions should be strengthened,” said Lutfi Dervishi, an independent analyst and former director of Transparency International in Albania.
“Albania should try to keep political pluralism alive,” he added, recalling that Rama first came to power in 2013 through a coalition.
“With each mandate, he becomes stronger… We risk having cosmetic pluralism .”

As in several other Western Balkan countries, a failure to meet expectations in the fight against corruption has hindered faster progress towards the EU. Rama, who has been at the forefront of politics for two decades, has struggled to curb corruption in his administration and reduce the influence of powerful criminal groups.

Rama's only rival in these elections was even less "fresh" on the political scene, despite his slogan "Make Albania Great Again": Sali Berisha, 80, the former president of Albania, who is banned by the US and the UK due to suspicions of corruption, which he denies.

“I am disappointed with the results,” said Edval Zoto, a consultant at the Tirana-based Integr Partners firm.
“I expected more support for new initiatives, hoping they would offer a more serious opposition to the socialist hegemony.”

Albania has struggled to stem immigration, fueled by poverty and persistent corruption. The exodus has been a challenge for British authorities, who are trying to stop illegal crossings across the English Channel.

However, Rama has remained a loyal ally of the US and the EU, forging a close relationship with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after offering to host detention centers for Italian migrants on Albanian territory.

He has also shown a willingness to make business deals with senior figures close to Trump, including Jared Kushner, the former US president's son-in-law, who has plans to develop large parts of the Albanian coast.

“He has an interest in making powerful friends in the EU and beyond,” Dervishi said. “Unlike other Balkan leaders, Rama has a luxury: no one questions Albania’s Western orientation. ”