During a campaign event presenting the candidates of the Democratic Party–Alliance for a Grand Albania in Electoral Unit No. 5 in Tirana, Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha accused the Socialist government of driving Albanians into poverty.
Berisha stated that under Prime Minister Edi Rama, taxes and levies were doubled while wages and pensions were frozen without any adjustment.
Key Excerpts from Sali Berisha’s Speech:
“Dear citizens of Tirana, my deepest greetings and boundless gratitude to all of you, to the Democrats of this city, for your extraordinary dedication in these historic moments for the future of Albania and the nation.”
He stressed Tirana’s pivotal role: “The entire Albanian nation is looking to you, to Tirana—the heart and mind of our people. Perhaps never before has each of us had such a vital mission.”
Berisha introduced three parliamentary candidates, describing them as dignified professionals who left lives abroad to return and serve Albania:
Erisa Bajaziti, raised and educated abroad, who returned to represent Albanians in parliament.
Ilda Zhulali, a woman who chose to dedicate her life and work to Albania despite having studied abroad.
Akil Kraja, who turned down international opportunities to join the Democratic Party and fight for change.
Berisha praised their commitment during what he described as an “aggression” against the Democratic Party.
Referring to the Socialist Party’s 12-year rule, Berisha said:
“Edi Rama has plunged Albanians into misery. Taxes were doubled, but wages and pensions were frozen—except for high-level salaries, which increased mercilessly. While in most developed countries the highest salary is 4 to 5 times the average wage, in Rama’s Albania it reached 10 to 12 times.”
Berisha accused the government of:
Stripping people of dignity and reducing them to insignificance in the eyes of the elite
Concentrating wealth and power while ordinary citizens struggled to survive
Pushing over 1 million Albanians to emigrate between 2014 and 2023, a figure he said surpasses any historic catastrophe in scale
He claimed the country has reverted to demographic levels of the 1960s, and that the national substance built over 85 years has been lost.
Berisha contrasted today’s situation with the one he said he left in 2013, when Albania had:
Reached upper-middle income status
Achieved the highest wages and pensions in the region
Attracted 4.7 million tourists (up from 300,000 in 2004)
Welcomed back 180,000 returning Albanians in his final two years in office
“What happened?” he asked.
“Why did people leave this blessed country? Because they were excluded from the wealth they created through taxes. Instead of returning those funds in the form of higher wages and pensions, the government froze incomes and used the money for corruption.”
He concluded by slamming the controversial incinerator scandal in Tirana, where €130 million were allocated from the state budget “for a waste incinerator project that doesn’t even have a single brick built.”
Berisha’s speech painted a grim picture of life under the current government and called on voters to support the Democratic Party’s vision for change.
