DP not registered for May 14th elections

The decision became a failure to complete the documentation that was asked by the Democratic Party, led by Enkeleed Alibeaj, as the task of chief of this political subject.

The crisis of representation of Albania's largest opposition party has caused complicated situations for a year, and has already put the Central Election Commission at risk, shortly before the campaign for the upcoming local elections.

At the March 9th meeting, Chief Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi said that based on the registry of political parties, Democratic Party President Lulzim Basha, who, although publicly, has resigned since March 2021, has not followed this decision with proper judicial actions in court. That's why the documents he needs to hand in The DP to register in the election must have its signature. Yes, exactly what is known as the “solemn declaration” involving commitment against election crimes does not hold the firm of Lulzim Basha, but his envoys at the party's helm, Enkeleed Alibeaj.

Following the deadline set by the Central Election Commission, this document did not surrender.

Under conditions where the solemn declaration is not in the right circumstances, I appreciate that the DP's request to register as electoral subject has no legal basis and should not be accepted. This decision-making is entirely in the legal assessment of the facts and in my interpretation based on legal basis. There is no interpretation. The CEC decides the DP's refusal to register in the elections,”, Celibashi said.

The decision brought the reaction of DP chairman Enkeleed Alibeaj's task counsel.

“Every legal artificial or trained political and non-legal reason is simply the desperate course of old policy in independent constitutional institutions have chosen to prevent us on our path”, Alibeaj stressed.

The Democratic Party immediately complained of the decision on the Ankes and Sanctions Commission. If request is not accepted again, The DP has another opportunity to request election registration at Electoral College.

Wednesday, meanwhile, is the deadline for registering coalitions. This is the only opportunity for Sali Berisha, to register his candidates for mayors under the umbrella of a coalition, since the State Election Commission does not recognise him as the leader of the Democratic Party. So far, there is no agreement with any of the smaller parties to form an alliance for the May 14th elections.

The DP representation crisis has been created since September 2021, when Basha expelled from the Parliamentary Group and from the Democratic Party, the former party leader, simultaneously former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, following the US State Department's decision to declare Berisha an unwanted person (person no women) because of allegations of corruption.

The decision was rejected by Berisha and his supporters, who gathered parallel structures, urging membership to vote for the party's new forums as the Democratic Party's Assembly, National Council and others, which voted Sali Berisha for party chairman, but also the DP's new logo.

On March 21st 2022, Lulzim Basha resigned as DP chairman.

On March 25th, 2022, the first-instance Court in Tirana recognised the National Assembly called by Berisha and all decisions made by him.

This decision was complained by Enkeleed Alibeaj, as a frontman of the Democratic Party. The Appeals Court ruled that the case be retriald to the first degree of the judiciary. /rel/