Why do Albanians present May 14 as Danish?

Alfred Lela

Sali Berisha, and the coalition he led, secured 38 percent of the vote in the May 14 elections. The defeat was crushing, though, and it remains to be seen if any hope of a resurgence will catch the opposition's eye. Just as there are faults that the opposition has, the responsibilities that are not its own should also be mentioned.

Until Monday afternoon, BF had secured 6 out of 59 municipalities, i.e., 1/10 of the offices in the race, keeping Kurbini and Kavaja still in the ring, two small cities but significant in the circumstances like these.

The loss of Shkodra is the most significant blow in the chest of the opposition's hope for ownership and electoral pride. Still, the lost territories that leave Sali Berisha's political movement without a sizeable urban center are just as noticeable. Tirana is already a no story, no game; Durrës appeared closer in the polls than in real life; Elbasani did not come with Luciano Boçi, as he did in the 2021 elections, making the Democratic MP the most quoted political underdog of that election.

In short, Berisha's Democratic Party and Meta's PL, gathered around the Together We Win coalition, made perhaps one of the best campaigns of 30 years, but reaped one of the weakest results.

We should also talk about the circumstances of winning and losing. There is no argumentative value to bemoan the opposition's defeat in such terms as if the battle was fought, for example, in Denmark. When epithets like 'destructive' or 'disgraceful' are used, those who articulate them have them more as an emphasis on their anti-Berisa sentiments than an analytical composition.

The coalition received 38 percent of the vote. Compared to +50 SP, this doesn't shoot much but still says something. For example, in the opposition fragments that appeared in the electoral sky on May 14, BF was legitimized as the only real opposition to Rama's power. The question cannot be, "How will this 38 percent crumble?" but how can it be built on it and with it?

Structuring the debate regarding cataclysm does not harm Berisha; it cripples the chances of raising this respectable 38 percent to threaten heights for power.

That's not enough. It is appropriate to say that this 38 percent was achieved under conditions of extreme inequality. The Prime Minister and his majority own every thread of power in the country and have been Byzantine in their exercise, using the central and local administration, levers in the justice system, occult connections with internationals, physical and verbal blackmail against opposition leaders or supporters of her.

It is no coincidence that, once again, the euro fell to the lowest levels about the lek, evidence of the injection of large sums into the campaign.

In this monstrous disparity, the opposition was defeated. Still, it produced a sizeable silhouette in the form of a 38 percent share in the race, not only for existence but also as a direct competitor for power. What is left of the Democratic (stamp) Party not only did not run in more than 14 municipalities, not only did it not win in any of them, but it reminded everyone, once again, what independent political commentators have repeated: its existence is no more than the convenience of power despite the real opposition. PD-vulva candidates took away two safe mandates from BF in at least two municipalities. In 5 other cities, the coalition lost with margins ranging from a few 10 to a few hundred votes. Another element that must be considered is that the electoral map was made according to the government's wishes.

These are facts, not opinions. The call to replace the truth with our desires, shouting to undo this opposition factor and create a new one, does not produce reality but repeats the fiction of a book written on ice or in the embers of pro-government communication.

Having said all this, the opposition did not do well in the May 14 elections, but it deserves to be criticized only after the obstacles, not only the flaws, have been lined up.

For the shortcomings, Sali Berisha's opposition should gather and speak openly. If he does not do it himself, others do it for him.