Albanian opposition won’t elect new leader following chairman’s resignation

Albania’s opposition Democratic Party said it will not elect a new leader before the 2023 local elections following the resignation of Chairman Lulzim Bash, according to a statement from MPs on Tuesday.

On Monday, Basha resigned after the latest in a series of crushing electoral defeats, this time in local elections where his candidates failed to get even one seat. The PD has been fractured after co-founder and former prime minister and president Sali Berisha was declared non-grata by the EU. Basha responded by expelling him from the PD parliamentary group one day before the assembly convened in September 2021.

Over the following months, two factions of the party, one led by Basha who retained the role of chairman, and the other led by Berisha bickered, leading to a violent confrontation at party headquarters in January.

During his resignation speech, Basha blamed his defeats on Berisha and Prime Minister Edi Rama. He added he would work to bring the party back together again and that there must be unity before new elections take place.

His duties were immediately transferred to deputy chairman Enkelejd Alibeaj by the formal PD General Secretary Gazmend Bardhi, who announced he had taken the decision in compliance with party statutes.

“The General Secretary convenes the National Council, which appoints the Deputy Chairman who will lead the Party until the return to duty of the Chairman or the election of a new Chairman,” their statutes stipulate.

Two deputies- Agron Gjekmarkaj and Grida Duma already resigned following the local election defeat.

Bardhi said he called the remaining two deputies in his office after Basha’s resignation, where Jorida Tabaku had stated she would not run for chairwoman. Therefore, Bardhi suggested, Enkelejd Alibeaj being the only remaining deputy chairman, becomes the party chairman without the need for a convention of the highest party body – the National Assembly.

Alibeaj announced they will ask the European People’s Party (EPP) to mediate a solution to the crisis.

Berisha, however, maintains that party leadership can only be ascertained through inclusive and free elections. He stated previously that he intends to run for party chairman.