By Dritan Hila
The process ended just as it began — as a farce. Rama managed, without lifting a finger, to ridicule the opposition. He threw them the ball, and instead of kicking it, they started tearing it apart.
Berisha did not disappoint — when he sets out to ruin a process, he does it thoroughly. It was clear from the start that he was mocking his own candidate (the same way he did with Këlliçi, whom he teased about his skin tone after choosing him), saying that Tirana has the man it needs.
To nominate a modest actor to govern the country’s metropolis — its economic engine and the most complex arena of competing interests — someone whose experience amounts to a few superficial roles, is to mock everyone: the candidate himself, those naïve enough to volunteer, the allies, and the entire process.
After this, there is no longer a race. To quote Florjan himself from one of his parodies, Rama doesn’t need to ask for votes — the opposition gives them to him.
There’s a great misunderstanding online, where many people think politics is about likes. In fact, social media is just entertainment. You can collect all the likes and comments you want, but you won’t collect votes.
Politics is about contact with people, coordination of interests, business groups seeking perspective and guarantees, and channels that connect the voter with the elected. These are just a few among many elements that make politics an art that has nothing to do with the stage — and everything to do with the backstage.
And to stop for a moment at the candidate himself — there’s pity to be had for the merciless way Berisha has used him. The young man has no political experience whatsoever. He’s no Beppe Grillo, who, behind the curtains of comedy, had decades of involvement with Italy’s left wing; nor is he George Carlin, a controversial popular philosopher in his own right.
Florjan is remembered for his roles as a police officer, for imitating Rama, and for parodying Albanian films — which, to be fair, he did quite well. But back then, he also had talented directors.
This time, he’s chosen a miserable one.