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Giro d'Italia in Albania: The political game being played behind the cyclists' backs as an electoral advantage for Rama

Politiko 2025-05-10 16:11:35

Giro d'Italia in Albania: The political game being played behind the

The Giro d'Italia 2025 is taking place for the first time in Albania. The most famous cycling race has paralyzed transport in Tirana, Durrës, Elbasan and Vlora, as part of the event.

The Italian media outlet "Il Fatto Quotodino" has raised accusations of a political game that is actually being played behind the cyclists participating in the Giro d'Italia race.

The fact that the start and the first three stages of the Giro d'Italia will take place this year beyond the Strait of Otranto is certainly a great success in terms of image for the Tirana government and a further step in the unpredictable alliance that has been created in recent years between the Albanian Prime Minister, the socialist Edi Rama, and the Italian government of Giorgia Meloni, Italian media write.

A harmony that has materialized in agreements that are, to say the least, contradictory: in exchange for Italian support in the European Union accession process, Tirana has granted Italy the opening and management of migrant centers in the cities of Gjadër and Shëngjin on Albanian territory.

The images of the coast of Durrës and the coast of Vlora, which will appear on Italian television screens in a few days, in a way close a circle regarding the images and stories of those who, 35 years ago, set off from the same cities on the Albanian coast in makeshift boats to reach Italy. The photographs of the merchant ship Vlora, overloaded with thousands of Albanian refugees, disembarking in the port of Bari in August 1991, marked the beginning of the immigration season in Italy and highlighted the alarming narratives about the alleged invasion of migrants, which have continued to dominate the political and media representation of migratory flows in the Mediterranean.

The ships that once crossed the Strait of Otranto loaded with migrants have now changed direction and are sailing in the opposite direction filled with tourists. The tourist attractiveness of Albania has become part of the new media narrative that Edi Rama has managed to build in recent years and which has had some support thanks to the success of the invitation that the Prime Minister extended to Giorgia Meloni in the summer of 2023, convincing her to spend the summer holidays in Albania together with her family.

The political importance of this Giro d'Italia start on Albanian soil becomes even clearer by the overlapping of the race dates with those of the parliamentary elections held in Albania on May 11, the day the race arrives in Vlora. The presence of the pink caravan thus becomes a powerful electoral position to the full advantage of the government, which has shown itself capable of attracting the attention of the Italian and European sports and political world to its country, writes "Il Fatto Quotodino".

"The political game being played behind the backs of the runners who will be at the start is therefore clear. However, seeing the pink jersey running on the streets of Albania certainly stirs emotions even in the hearts of those who watch the race with due disappointment. It remains true, in fact, that the new consideration that Albania has gained in Italy and Europe is not only the result of cynical political strategies. This is also thanks to the tireless work of a generation of Albanian immigrants who have worked hard for thirty years, not only in many important sectors of the Italian labor market, but also in the cultural field. Albanian diaspora associations have promoted cultural events and twinning on both shores of the Adriatic, while second-generation Italian-Albanians have paved their way in the world of art, culture and entertainment," continues the article in the Italian media.