While European leaders profess commitment to democracy and the rule of law, in practice they are increasingly tolerating—and even embracing—autocratic figures such as Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, writes former ambassador Agim Nesho in an opinion piece published Friday by Fox News.
Rama, who this year secured a fourth consecutive term as prime minister, is described by Nesho as a “progressive autocrat” trained under George Soros’s Open Society network and favored by Western liberal elites. Nesho likens Rama to Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, dubbing him “Ramaduro”—a nickname reportedly gaining traction even among Albanians themselves.
“Rama represents the European version of the Chávez-Maduro model: a leftist autocrat cloaked in progressive rhetoric, governing with little regard for democratic norms,” Nesho writes.
According to Nesho, Rama has built what he describes as a “mafia state” in Albania—sustained by systemic corruption and electoral manipulation—while projecting the image of a reliable international partner. He has maintained close ties with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and French President Emmanuel Macron, and has promoted the Soros-backed “Open Balkan” initiative as part of his regional power strategy.
“The elections that brought Rama to power are widely considered to have been deeply flawed—unthinkable for a NATO member and an aspiring EU country,” Nesho asserts.
Nesho also highlights Rama’s long-standing opposition to former U.S. President Donald Trump, noting that his political survival hinges on aligning with the liberal international order that took shape in the post-Trump era. These alliances, he argues, have enabled European tolerance of Rama despite his increasingly authoritarian domestic governance.
In his op-ed, Nesho calls on the U.S. and its Western allies to reconsider their stance and stop legitimizing such leaders. He urges concrete steps to promote free and fair elections in Albania and the broader Western Balkans.
“The United States must send a clear message: alignment with Western values is measured by concrete action—not hollow declarations,” he concludes.
Agim Nesho is a former Albanian Ambassador to the United Nations and currently serves as President of the Albanian Council on Foreign Relations. A vocal critic of Albania’s political trajectory in recent years, he warns that the region’s “stabilocracy” is being maintained at the expense of true democratic reform.