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OP-ED

The socialists' puppet theater, which aims to demonize the opposition and dismantle the European blockade against Edi Rama

Politiko 2026-04-08 18:48:56

The socialists' puppet theater, which aims to demonize the opposition and

By Gent Gaba

The fog of war that has engulfed the entire world is a good pretext for any autocrat to cushion internal and external crises, and in Edi Rama's toolbox, this trick has appeared during and after every crisis. This is what happened with the pandemic, it continued with the war in Ukraine, and with the same survival instinct, it is also happening with the conflict in the Middle East, where Edi Rama has sought an adventurous protagonism, not for national interest, but entirely personal. His sketchy entry into the big game, like an ant in a clash between elephants, was of course not to change the balance of power in the conflict, but to distract from his internal troubles, which are not few, with external noise.

On this wavelength, political developments within the pink camp also appear, the waves that have filled the screens and portals, more than a challenge to his authoritarian power, in a party that co-governments with his former deputy prime minister who fell into the clutches of SPAK, have begun to resemble more and more a rhetorical foam every day, which does not address, on the part of the "rebels", with political acts, the real problems of Albania, governed during these 13 years by Edi Rama, even with their help and signatures.

Such a challenge should target misgovernance, widespread corruption, and of course the essence of today's debate, which is Rama's obstruction of negotiations to protect Balluku, leaving us in a minority in the integration process.

These theses are the prerequisite for any challenger to Edi Rama within the Socialist Party, as they would prove that their actions are not dictated by personal interest, or by political maneuvering for internal consumption, but by the urgency to provide a solution to an issue that seriously damages the ambitions universally accepted by our society for advancing the European path.

On the contrary, they will be interpreted in society as a puppet theater to undermine the opposition's right stances towards Rama and the stances of EU member states, embodied in the repeated disapproval of the IBAR report, which is a 27-star slap in the face to the prime minister and the party that in the past elections promised integration and protection of the independence of the judiciary. Meanwhile, it is producing international isolation for Albania and asphyxiation of justice through the stolen ballots on May 11, in uncontested elections, as the ODIHR report also notes, which reminds us that the playing field was not equal and the boundary between the ruling party and the state was non-existent.

And in this case, the promotion of fruitless debates by the Socialist Party, aimed at diverting public attention from the attack that Rama is making on integration and justice, cannot avoid accountability by creating a domestic opposition of the Socialists.

For 13 years in a row, Edi Rama has evaded accountability. With tricks, purchased media power and corrupt lobbying, he has shifted the center of public debate to the opposition, but now that in Albania and in Europe it is clear that he is the head of the stinking fish, and that with the tired and smuggled phrase in every media outlet in the country, "Saliu is to blame", he is unable to win amnesty for his wrongdoings, the puppet theater in the Socialist Party seems unable to help him anymore.

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