Former prime minister and co-founder of the Democratic Party begin today his national tour from Tirana to meet with party supporters.

Berisha described the tour as the most “important milestone since the founding of the DP” and accused PM Edi Rama of having ties with organized crime.

Berisha’s tour comes after the decision of incumbent leader Lulzim Basha to expel him from the parliamentary group.

Berisha said the objective of the tour is to “restore sovereignty to the Democratic Party”.

The meeting comes at a time when the parliament is set to pass the new government program.

According to Berisha, the DP is at its “most critical state of being”, adding that it has been losing on every initiative, apart from the decriminalization law.

“He’s lost every action. For eight years, he’s gone from one defeat to another. He lost the last elections, he stole twice more than in 2017.”, said Berisha.

He also added that only one-fifth of the votes were indeed for Basha, and called on the latter to step down.

Berisha said that the Democrats received 70,000 votes less than in 2013, rebuffing Basha’s claims that DP’s support had grown.

“You lost the elections twice, you must leave”, said Berisha.

Describing the Department of State’s decision to proclaim him persona-non-grata as “politically motivated”, Berisha reiterated that he will not recognize it.

“In an unprecedented act in the history of a country, be that dictatorial or democratic, without no one even asking him, he communicates the removal of Sali Berisha from the parliamentary group, a backstabbing to all the principles in which the party has been founded upon”, conclude Berisha.

Speaking about the Open Balkan initiative, Berisha describe it as a move to restore Yugoslavia and called Rama a “vassal” of the Serbian President.

Attending the gathering are MPs Flamur Noka, Tritan Shehu, and former chair of the DP’s national council Bujar Nishani.