Lulzim Basha has stepped down from the leadership of the Democratic Party.
“I’ve decided to take a step back by resigning from the post of the leader of the Democratic Party”, Basha said on Monday.
According to the party’s statute, one of the current depute leaders is expected to take over.
Basha emphasized that he will continue to be a part of the DP and continue his commitments for the future of the party.
“This is not a retreat, but an additional incentive so that we can all work together for the Democratic Party of the future”, said Basha.
The move comes after the DP ranked third in five out of six municipalities at the by-elections held on March 6.
Lulzim Basha was elected as the chairman of the Democratic Party in July 2013.
Basha, who at the time was serving as the mayor of the capital, won the race for the party’s leadership after facing off the late Sokol Olldashi.
Around 41,500 members voted in the internal elections. Basha secured 80% of the votes.
Back then, Olldashi accused Berisha of interfering in the elections.
Basha had joined the DP shortly before the July 2005 elections, which brought Berisha back to power following his resignation as president in July 1997.
The 47-year-old law graduate in the Netherlands joined the party in January 2005.
He got engaged in the Policy Orientation Committee, a strong arm one into reinstating the Democrats back to power.
In Berisha’s first cabinet, Basha was appointed Minister of Transport, a position he held for 2 years
In April 2007, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, a position he held until September 2009.
Prior to getting elected as the new mayor of Tirana in 2009, Basha held the post of Minister of Interior.
He won against Edi Rama in the 2011 local elections, with a small narrow of only 81 votes, although he refused to run for a second term.
The DP led by Basha lost the June 2017 parliamentary elections, where the DP won only 28.85% and the SP 48.34%.
Following the defeat, Basha was re-elected mayor in 2017 after freezing his position as leader of the Democrats.
In the July 2017 elections, Basha won with over 91% of the votes against Eduart Selami.
In the 2021 parliamentary elections, after 8 years in opposition, the DP lost again to the SP.
Under Basha, the DP received 39.43%, while the SP won a third term with 48.67% of the votes.
Despite this, Basha was elected as the party leader again, even securing an overwhelming majority in June 2021.
Out of a total of 41,000 ballots, some 40 684 had voted for Basha.
The designation as ‘persona non grata’ of the former leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, and then his discharge from the party’s parliamentary group, turned Basha into the main opponent of the party.
Basha was forced to resign after almost 9 years as party leader after suffering a major defeat at the March 6 by-elections.
