The leader of the Alliance for Albanians (ASH), also the mayor of Gostivar, Arben Taravari, has called for calm after the incidents following his decision to join the Albanian opposition bloc, aiming, as stated, to “bring about political change among Albanians in North Macedonia”.
On Monday, Taravari reported to the police the discovery of a bullet from an automatic weapon on his doorstep in Gostivar. Meanwhile, on Sunday evening, when he announced his decision, there was also a clash among officials of this party in Tetovo.
North Macedonia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has confirmed these incidents and has initiated investigations, sending the bullet for expertise, while two individuals have been questioned for the clash in Tetovo, and the case has been passed to the criminal prosecution authorities.
“Please, stay calm, be wise. Even those who think differently from us, treat them as friends because we have been together, and we can be together again. I believe we will overcome our disagreements, but the majority’s stance must be respected,” Taravari told his supporters in Gostivar.
The Alliance for Albanians, which is part of the technical Government, is divided into two parts, one to join the European Alliance for Change, a coalition of opposition parties, for the upcoming May 8 elections. The other part aims to run independently in the elections or to become part of the government coalition – the European Front.
The party leader, Arben Taravari, said that the incident outside his home was intended to “intimidate” and “dissuade” him from his decision to join the opposition.
Despite this, Taravari has declared that Albanians need change and that he will not back down from this path.
“I believe there were tendencies to intimidate me in front of my house, so you are here to support me. But, know that there is no force that will stop me, not a bullet, but whatever comes in front of me, I don’t stop. Justice is on our side, and what Albanians need most in this period is to bring about change among Albanians,” said Taravari.
However, another part of the party’s leadership, led by Ziadin Sela, who heads the ASH Assembly, has labeled Taravari’s action as “shameful” and has called for a meeting of the party’s Assembly on Saturday, February 10, where Taravari’s accountability will be demanded, including his dismissal from the leadership of the Alliance for Albanians.
The developments in this party followed a meeting where Arben Taravari and the leaders of three other opposition parties united in the European Alliance for Change met with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Pristina on January 30.
This meeting discussed unifying the opposition bloc, as well as the possibility of presenting a single Albanian candidate for president in the elections scheduled for April 24.
The European Alliance for Change has offered Arben Taravari to be its candidate for the head of state, while the opposition will also have the support of the Self-Determination Movement, which will also have candidates on the lists for deputies in the May 8 elections.
The goal of creating a broad opposition Front is to win against the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI), which has been in power since 2002.
The party has not commented on the recent incidents, but there have been criticisms in the public for what has been called “intervention by Self-Determination in Macedonia”.
“We are right not to interfere in each other’s political affairs, neither I in Kosovo nor they in Macedonia… I have brothers among all of you, even Albin is my brother, and I don’t watch my back from anyone. I have said it in Tirana and in Pristina, don’t talk behind someone’s back. If you don’t like something, say it publicly,” said the leader of the Democratic Union for Integration, Ali Ahmeti, to the media in Kosovo.
Political analysts say that the period until the parliamentary elections will be tense given the recent political developments, accompanied by incidents.
Shpëtim Pollozhani, a political observer, told Radio Free Europe that parties should understand that “political rotation” is not the end of political action; therefore, they should engage in a democratic electoral race and ultimately leave it to the electorate to decide on the offers with which parties enter the elections.
“It has been proven that rotation is healthy for democracy. We should also be prepared for such a scenario, a scenario of violence, but I don’t think they will resort to it. The electoral race must be truly democratic, but considering that many power figures have been convicted for undemocratic, even criminal actions, I don’t hope they will be very democratic, but it should be left to the electorate to decide,” says Pollozhani.
Vladimir Bozhinovski from the Institute for Political Research told Radio Free Europe that tension or polemical debate is normal to have, but not incidents, as they create the opposite effect on political parties.
“It is clear that there will be political tensions, but it is essential that those tensions remain only political. It is normal to have harsh tones, polemical debates, different stances on certain issues, but there is no need for those tensions to spill over from debates or to be reflected in the streets and cafes. Parties should be aware that such incidents can only have the opposite effect on those who cause them,” evaluates Bozhinovski.
According to him, the debate sparked in public by the Alliance for Albanians speaks to its importance as a “third player” in the bloc of Albanian political parties, and also to the fact that the BDI in power leads in the polls against the united opposition, but not as convincingly as before.
Therefore, according to Bozhinovski, the enthusiasm of the Alliance for Albanians towards one or the other political bloc may indicate who could be the winner of the elections on May 8 and consequently be part of the new Government of North Macedonia.
