Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Friday that the Socialist Party (PS), which he leads, holds the key to Albania’s European future, as he launched the official campaign for the May 11 elections.
Speaking at a rally in Tirana, Rama described the upcoming vote as a historic crossroads, not only for the party’s next four-year mandate but for Albania’s long-awaited goal of joining the European Union.
“Fate has brought us to this defining moment in our long and difficult history, offering us, Albanians of the third decade of the 21st century, the chance to forever change its course,” Rama told supporters. “Right here, right now, we face a dual challenge: choosing a party to govern for four years and seizing a historic opportunity for Albania to become a full member of the united European family.”
He urged Socialist supporters to use the 30 days ahead to unite with every Albanian who envisions the country as a respected EU member and themselves as equal European citizens.
“This is unlike any of our previous gatherings,” he said. “Here, in this square, under the stoic gaze of our national prophet riding through Albanian history – a reference to national hero Skanderbeg – we are reminded of our mission.”
Quoting a European thinker, Rama said, “If it is true, as the Quran states, that every people is given a prophet in their own language, then Albania had Skanderbeg – the prophet of its independence, the man who planted the seed of greatness and the destiny of a proud nation.”
Rama said the Socialist Party drew inspiration from the resilience of ordinary Albanians who, in his words, “walked into the sea” – a metaphor for their struggles – proving that Albania could succeed through European state-building.
Calling Albania’s contribution to Europe “a unique, even irrational case in history,” Rama said the country had remained committed to European ideals even when Europe itself was gripped by doubt.
“Despite being labelled indifferent, faithless, or even dismissive, Albanians learned to believe – and to hope – through adversity. That voice that thundered from the mountains was the first existential cry to affirm our European identity,” he said.
The prime minister cited historical chronicles noting that during major clashes between East and West, the Albanians – or Arbër, as they were known – were the only indigenous people Europe’s forebears could reliably count on.
“In 1308 and again in 1332, anonymous monks, as if born solely to echo the Albanian miracle amid Balkan turmoil, wrote with unmatched enthusiasm: ‘This people longs to stand with the West, to join their battles and ideals whenever the hand of trust is extended.’”
Rama concluded by invoking Skanderbeg, saying that even in the 15th century, the Albanian hero sent a clear message to a divided Europe: “The price of belonging to the European family is not determined by fate, nor earned as mercenaries, but claimed through virtue – as steadfast sons of the land, determined to be a heavy stone in their rightful place.”
