By Ben Andoni
The statement by Democratic Party (PD) MP Jorida Tabaku regarding her placement in the Open Lists was reasonable and highly rational, yet carried a carefully measured dose of disappointment. Despite public expectations due to her strong performance in the PD primaries, she now faces a new challenge that she once again aims to overcome. However, for the public, her case, along with that of several colleagues, has demonstrated that meritocracy is still lacking within the Democratic Party. The neutral and silent stance of many PD members who were sidelined spoke volumes—revealing their disappointment after investing heavily in a race like few others among their party’s militants.
The primaries, supported by all voices within and around PD, including even the less engaged members, turned out to be a major disappointment. They also relativized the true weight of the people who have borne the burden of opposition for the past 12 years. As if that were not enough, Berisha’s speech a few hours earlier faded into the air, adding to the arsenal of empty statements about democracy within his party. In a parallel reality, he would have said: “With us, Albanians witnessed an astonishing race. Our candidates did not emerge from the basements of mafia houses, from Dubai, Aruba, or other dangerous hubs of Albanian organized crime, but rather from the votes and consultations of PD members.”
Those who understand and recognize this logic and narrative withdrew, while others remained utterly surprised! It is still too early for in-depth analyses beyond macro-level observations, but one thing is clear—respect for those who work and fight within PD is nonexistent. The cases of Sula, Tabaku, Alimehmeti, Zhulali, Teliti (who, in fact, did not qualify due to low votes in the primaries) are among the most concerning because their presence in Parliament benefits the party. Therefore, their battle is no longer just against Rama but first and foremost against the circumstances in which they now find themselves.
Consider this: the biggest electoral battle will take place in Tirana, where, according to the Central Election Commission (KQZ), 12 MPs from each political subject will be elected directly from the closed list. In the last elections in 2021, the Socialist Party (PS) and PD secured 18 and 15 mandates, respectively. This time, the competition is even tougher due to the emergence of new parties—not just because of polling data but also because of the declining interest in PD. The logic suggests that the real battle in the Open List may be for just 2–3 seats. This means that figures like Jorida Tabaku, Ilir Alimehmeti, Myslim Murrizi, Dhurata Çupi, Shpëtim Idrizi, Kreshnik Çollaku, Ilda Zhulali, and others will face an extremely difficult race.
It is still too early for projections, even though the dissatisfaction was expected to surface from the outset, which is precisely what happened. The essence of the issue lies in the message conveyed by the former PD chairman in Kavaja, who declined to run in the Open Lists despite his success in the primaries. His message made the entire process clearer: “To participate in the primaries, according to the party’s statute, I resigned as chairman of the Kavaja branch, where we all worked hard to keep PD united and won the municipality two years ago. My entire journey in PD, from my teenage years to my recent victory, has been deeply connected to Kavaja and its citizens, who deserve dignified representation. Kavaja cannot continually be considered just a vote reservoir for PD while its representation on the party’s parliamentary list remains inadequate,” Hysen Kadiu stated regretfully.
Nevertheless, the people of the Open List will try again, and for some of them, this may be the last attempt. However, Berisha’s attitude toward them sends a clear message about their true worth within PD—the party they believe will bring change. The unspoken truths, assumptions, and, above all, the outright lies have once again become the biggest reality, further shrinking PD in the eyes of the public. Or, as the Iron Chancellor, Bismarck, once put it: “People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election.”
Regardless of what happens next, one thing is clear: the Open List of the Democratic Party is its true reflection.
(Javanews)
