Lulzim Basha seems determined not to waste any time and immediately after his return to the helm of the Democratic Party, he has started his opposition action.
During the 16 months he spent in the background, Basha appears to have drafted a detailed plan for gaining control of the party and also for functioning as the opposition against the ruling Socialist majority.
The first Sunday after the vote of confidence from nearly 17,000 Democrats found Basha in two consecutive meetings. Initially, the College of Chairpersons and then the Party Leadership, from where the press office distributed several decisions.
On a parliamentary level, the Party Leadership has decided that the Democratic Party will submit a request to the Assembly for the establishment of two commissions, one for the IPARD funds and another for the status of strategic investor. It remains to be seen how these requests will be handled, given that after the developments in June and July, the number of Democrat deputies supporting Basha is no more than 10.
With two opposing factions already existing, one in favor of Berisha and the other in favor of Gazment Bardhi, the Leadership meeting on Sunday evening approved Basha’s request to convene the National Assembly on September 2. The extraordinary meeting of the highest decision-making body of the party will have the following agenda: Statutory amendments; Organizational decisions in line with statutory decisions; and Approval of the political agenda of the Democratic Party.
Lulzim Basha announced his return to the leadership of the Democratic Party of Albania after winning with around 17 thousand votes. His rival in the race for leadership, Gjergj Hani, garnered 1,657 votes.
The Election Commission of the Democratic Party has confirmed the results, solidifying Basha’s position as the leader of the party, which is currently in opposition.
In a speech delivered to his supporters, Basha emphasized that significant changes are on the horizon for the Democratic Party, starting from July 29.
Should everything be officially confirmed, this will mark Lulzim Basha’s fourth mandate as the leader of the DP.
The Democratic Party has been grappling with internal divisions and was already divided into two camps, those supporting Lulzim Basha and those backing Sali Berisha. However, the current process has further deepened the fractures within the party.
Opposition to the DP leadership elections also emerged from another group, led by the Secretary General Gazmend Bardhi, and seven deputies supporting him.
Prior to the election results, a group of deputies brought the matter to court, filing an appeal against the National Council’s decision to nullify the elections and suspend the leadership, and additionally requesting the deregistration of Lulzim Basha, who still holds the position of DP leader, from the political parties’ registry.
The situation within the DP remains uncertain and unstable, following the events of March 21, 2022, when Lulzim Basha stepped down as the party leader, and his position was temporarily filled by Enkelejd Alibeaj.
On March 25, 2022, the first instance court in Tirana declared the National Assembly called by Berisha and all decisions taken during that time to be lawful.
Enkelejd Alibeaj appealed this verdict, acting as the interim leader of the Democratic Party. The Court of Appeals later decided to reconsider the case in the first instance court.
Subsequently, after the DP suffered a major defeat in the local elections on May 14, acting chairman Enkelejd Alibeaj also resigned.
The official DP headquarters is currently in a rented office space, as its original headquarters was forcibly taken over by Berisha.
