rivals, accusations in race for new Democratic Party leader increase

Astrit Patozi is the last challenger to add his name to the list of candidates for head of the Democratic Party, while he echoed accusations that the race is being manipulated by current party leader Lulzim Basha.

Through a press release from Democratic Party headquarters, MP Astrit Pattozi announced on Saturday his candidacy for the DP leader, also demanding clear rules of play in the race to elect the new leader of Democrats.

“concerned about the DP's dramatic outcome in this election and convinced that its re-installation can only occur after an honest process of reflection and a fair race, I am here today to assume all my responsibilities in the function of this goal,” said Pattozi from the DP's speaker.

“backed by a very large number of members and leaders of the Democratic Party in years and set in terms of failing to bring out another real and serious candidate, he said I am willing to run for chairmanship of the Democratic Party, in case there will be sufficient guarantees for free, fair and unconfirmed elections,” he added.

Astrit Pattozi is the third candidate for the leader of the Democratic Party after the loss of the June 25th election by the Democrats, where they marked the worst electoral outcome since the bad 1997 -- when the country fell to anarchy after the bankruptcy of pyramid investment firms and a large number of Albanians lost savings.

On June 25th, the Democratic Party received only 29% of the national vote, leading against the Socialist rivals only in the Kukes and Shkodra district. The DP received in total about 440,000 votes, receiving about 85 thousand votes less than in the 2013 parliamentary elections. If we count and vote the small Allied parties in 2013, which on June 25th competed as part of the DP's list, then the missing voter hole stands at 185 thousand.

Facing a petition to resign after the negative electoral result, Democrat leader Lulzim Basha öngriu said on Thursday his positions in the party, while through a press release, he declared the elections were manipulated.

With all the efforts I and the Democratic Party made, with the law of discrimination, the uncompetitive battle with drugs, with the obligation we made to Edi Rama by removing half the government, with the awareness of international partners, again crime and dirty money, state pressure did not stop,” said Basha.

The vote's “Bleft became massive, replacing once again the debate on the alternative, with the margin of money for the vote, depreciating the plan and project, at payment for deepening poverty, to make it easier to exchange money. With dirty drug money and government corruption,” he added.

Before setting up his posts, Basha delegated two DP vice-chairmen to Edmond Spaho and Eddy Paloka and Secretary-General Arben Ristani, the task of organising the election under the principle a member vote.

Through a press release Saturday on June 29th, Paloka and Spaho announced open elections for the new DP leader by setting and date 22 July as a day of voting.

Basha's decision and the election declaration by the two vice-presidents was rejected by Secretary-General Arben Ristani, who expressed through a press statement that the delegation of competencies from President Basha to the two vice-presidents was not statuteous.

“Delegation of organisational competencies from the chairman to the vice-chairs is non-standard and without restraint, because organisational competencies belong to the Secretary General,”, Ristani said.

Article 43 says that in the event of the chairman's resignation, the General Secretary assembles the National Council, which commands the deputy chairman who will lead the Party. So the jurisdiction of command belongs to the National Council, which is called by the Secretary General. The two vice-presidents' decision to call the elections, set the date of the elections, and date of presentation of the candidacy is the unbased decision,” he added.

Despite controversy over the process, Basha's first challenger for the DP leader was declared former chairman and MP Edward Peace.

Honored “Democrats, with a sense of responsibility and intention of bringing the DP back together, the deserved glory, announces the candidacy for the mayor! --” -- he declared on July 27th of Titter, following Basha's flight for the loss of elections.

Unlike Peace, Pattozi in his statement declaring the nomination for the leader of the Democratic Party, demanded and the resignation of current leader Lulzim Basha, as well as the fulfillment of another 6 conditions to ensure an equal and fair race for leadership.

“In the name of the thousands of Democrats, who support me in this challenge, I demand, neither more nor less, but clean rules of play... the immediate and non-free resignations of President Lulzim Basha, as the main responsibility for the disappointing outcome in this election,” said.

“Its deployment to the position of any other candidate, which will be put in the race as the minimum condition for sightings. His departure from the office, along with his staff, and the release of the headquarters from the presence of all candidates until the process of electing the new DP chairman is completed,” he added.

Patorzi also called for normalisation of the race according to statuteial projections, sufficient time for debate and reflection on the election outcome, as well as establishment of the Electoral Operations Organising Commission in the DP.

Pattozi said the guarantees for the leadership race he sought were the minimum to ensure a comprehensive process.

I invite Mr. Lulzim Basha to come up with personal ambitions and decide the Democratic Party's fate and future on its present interests,” he said.

However, if our right requests for a real race are not met, it will take full responsibility for blowing up the only opportunity to get the Democratic Party out of crisis, because of it,” concluded.

The fierce criticism of the process already launched for the election of the new DP leader has also been former Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli, who has named it as manipulated by current chairman Luzim Basha.

“Lulzim Basha has ordered the launch of an antistate procedure to impose the Democratic Party on a false race for new direction. Making the election process in the anti-state party hasty, not serious and irresponsible, Mr. Basha is seeking not only to hold the party hostage and rob a new leadership mandate, but is first seeking to avoid accounting and taking responsibility for catastrophic defeat in parliamentary elections,” Topalli said through a June 30th statement.

In the same spirit, Besnik Mustafaj, founder of the Democratic Party and former foreign minister, who in a statement to the newspaper “Panorama”, has said Basha through two deputy speakers is destroying the race in the DP.

“Bash did... wrong action indicating he would not remain frozen at all,” said Mustafaj. “Through two subscientists he set the election date. This decision reveals Basha and shows that he has full influence over the two vice-presidents appointed by him to manage the election process within the party. I found out so Basha wants a short campaign to avoid the debate on his balance,” Mustafaj added.

Unlike Mustafaj and Topalli, former Democratic Party leader and main sponsor of Lulzim Basha in politics, Sali Berisha, has approved the procedural steps of his political pingolise for the new Democratic Party mayoral race.

The DP's “chairman has recognised his primary personal responsibility for this loss. The party's charter envisions opening the process of electing the party chairman, and the latter has declared it would freeze its posts as party chairman for the timing of the mayorial election process not to influence the process,” Berisha declared through a Facebook post.

I think the best way to list the causes, to determine the responsibilities of loss, is to give voice and opportunity to all DP structures and membership to speak their words freely and responsibly in the analysis and the profound change needed to get out of it, and once again powerfully reinstate the Democratic Party,” he added.

Four years ago, after the DP's loss in the 2013 parliamentary elections, Berisha played a key role in installing Lulzim Basha at the helm of the DP. Like the current race in 2013, this process has been coupled with allegations of manipulation. However, after the 25 June electoral storm, it remains to be seen whether Berisha's support will suffice for Lulzim Basha to survive as leader of the Democratic Party, which is experiencing in this hot summer one of the most difficult periods of her 26-year history.