Speech by Prime Minister Edi Rama in Parliament:
First of all, it is sad and contradictory that some, on one hand they call for open candidate lists system, while on the other want to silence others. It is a story going on for a long time now. It is not the first time, unfortunately neither the last, when the minority seeks to impose its will on the parliamentary majority by resorting to various forms and language that is totally irrelevant to what each and everyone here in this very hall teach their children at home. This Parliament’s 30-year old misfortune primarily is that it sets and displays to everyone following it, young people in particular, the worst example of the good behaviour.
To go back to the law, there could be no compromise with one party wining everything. Good compromises are usually the ones with parties becoming upset for a reason. We too can become upset for a good reason. Not only that, to put it more clearly, we have more reasons to be upset than the parties involved in the process, be them either inside or outside the parliament. But we are aware that the obligation to reach the necessary compromise on a process with everyone entitled to partake in the election process having to give up their desires.
I have no doubts that should we were to ask a compromise from you to set a bonus for the first wining party, you would have certainly granted such a compromise. However, this would have been an exaggeration vis-a-vis the other party outside the parliament.
On the other hand, this Parliament is doing a lot more than ever before for those outside it taking into consideration the fact that they abandoned Parliament and were self-denied of the right to impose whatever they would have wished on this Parliament.
I don’t mind that you attack me. I am used to the original one and his copies don’t impress me at all. I heard a lady speaking and using a disrespectful and inappropriate language for a mother and a representative of the people here in Parliament.
But, how am I supposed to blame this lady, when the most scandalous example for every citizen and citizenship in this country is set by the President of the Republic of Albania, who, like nobody else serving in that position, has no moral and mental capacity to refrain at least when a foreign counterpart is by his side. There is no President like him in the world. I don’ even recall (former president) Sali (Berisha) using such a vulgar, blackmailing and depressing language against opponents when appearing on TV along with a foreign personality.
Therefore, I am blaming neither this lady, nor any of you who shamelessly use the most disrespectful and foul words of the Albanian language, with the word “crime” being randomly used to replace the word “decent behaviour”, the word “drug” to replace the word “food” and have turned the foul communication into a norm here in Parliament.
What do you think the Socialist Party is? Do you think the Party is the enslaved servant or the auxiliary staff of those outside the Parliament?
We are here to serve those who have elected us and serve the country we have been governing and will continue governing, like it or not.
And do you know why we have government and will keep governing this country?
Not because we are heavenly fallen people, not because we are unmistakable, also not because we don’t have our own deficiencies in leadership, but because this people is not a fool. Any individual speaking on behalf of the people, be it either a high-ranking officials, or a blind individual on the social media using such a language, he is destined to be punished by the people. I have told this the ones who were here before you. I am telling it you too, as you have to overcome a huge gap in order for you to win the votes. You will not gain votes, neither through closed lists, or open or torn lists, just for a simple reason. Because you think Albanians are fools. As long as you will keep thinking Albanians are fools, you stand no chance of racing against the Socialist Party.
The candidate lists are open. I am not going to be held accountable for your illusions, but I will be held accountable for the law’s standards. We haven’t invented any model. Quite the contrary, we are going to overthrow an invention that is the parties’ cartel grouped in the so-called coalitions, with one party gaining the votes and with other coalition parties shamelessly gaining seats in parliament. As far as the candidate lists are concerned, anyone included on the list will be given the chance to be elected. However, for anyone to be elected, they should first win the required number of votes. Nobody will now be able to be elected without wining votes.
The Socialist Party is neither a profitable business company, nor the Democratic Party. It is neither an invented van “to grab whatever it can “nor a freight train like the cartels of the Democratic Party coalitions. The Socialist Party is a political family where there are rules and the Socialist Party has the right to list all its team, from the goalkeeper to the striker, along with those waiting on the bench. And anyone waiting on the bench earns the required number of votes he or she will enter the pitch. It is a simple as that.
There could not be limited liability corporations involved also in efforts to release the Power of Law Operation (PLO) victims, who are contacted by the country’s head of state in remote villages.
You and everyone else, including (President Ilir Meta) should forget open lists that under the open formula clear the way to parliament for criminals, black money, individuals and groups that pressure community and then descend down like jackals through various areas.
Ilir Meta, who appears to issue statements on behalf of the constitution, on behalf of Albanians, resorting to a language useful to him when meeting the PLO victims, yet it useless when it comes to dealing with the Socialist Party, its MPs and the Albanian people, has threatened is he going to publicly display the names of the lawmakers, who would pay both political, moral and personal cost. Who is going to make them pay? How? Through which violent means, or does he mean the weapons that were to be taken up back in 2017?
Albania certainly needs everyone, but it is no longer a secret, and it is not something I have been ever hiding from; I am not the Socialist Party leader to feed smaller parties. This is absolutely not my goal and this is absolutely not my duty. My conviction is that no smaller party in history of pluralism has ever bought good things to Albania. Small parties are groups of blackmailers. Small parties are interest groups to gain whatever they can. The smaller parties are the ones that have reaped most benefits and have plundered the state, more than the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party. Small parties are parties of hostage takers that enter parliament to seize a certain ministry and turn it into a kind of a treasure department, not for the party, because they have no party affiliations of whatsoever, but for the one who sets the seal. This is the truth. There is no other way, no other truth.
The fact that they been working this way to date doesn’t mean that they should be left alone and it doesn’t mean that they can change in the future. This is my belief.
I know what you wish for. I know what Ilir Metal is looking for. You want to hire certain individuals and people without ever asking what they can do for the Albanian people and Albania and urge them to buy votes and clear then the way for them to enter parliament to do exactly the same thing.
I am very glad that you are smiling, because you know this too, but thanks to the mask you are smiling behind your face masks. However, this is the truth.
As for the dictatorship, dictators, the autocrats, I would say that I am neither a dictator nor an autocrat, and if I was to resemble only a bit to Sali (former PM), the ones outside the parliament today would stand no chance of sitting at the table and be listened, sign agreements and have their proposals be adopted by parliament. They wouldn’t stand a change of refusing even Erjon Braçe if we were to nominate him as the head of the Central Election Commission. We forwarded the candidacy of Ilir Rusmaili to be voted in as the CEC chairman, and it was them, who are concerned over the free vote, that rejected the candidacy of the former Deputy Prime Minister in Berisha’s government.
Would you ever imagine Sali Berisha proposing Erjon Braçe to take over the post of the CEC chairman?
You can’t imagine it!
Suppose for a moment if it was us the ones to boycott parliament and imagine as if the former PM and his lawmakers were to vote in the commission members that we would have been proposing informally.
This is what we are going to do today.
I will stop my nose with my fingers and with the face mask on I will vote some characters directly coming from the DP’s “refrigerator”. And this for a simple reason, because I am neither a dictator, nor an autocrat and especially because citizenship and decent conduct, the things you and those outside do not understand, is in the SP’s DNA. And no matter how you confuse language and your words, there is a big difference between us, you and those outside parliament. If you happen to find even a single speech or remark in which I have ever used the word criminal, drug abuser, con man and deceitful man, they you will have the right to claim “we are all the same.”
But, do you know why I don’t use them?
Because these are words that one who represents others cannot utter. This is rowdy behaviour.
I deplore the use of these words by the female lawmakers. I don’t want to insult them, but this is a thugs’ spoken language or terminology. Only a thug can take the street and assault others by using an offensive language and words, which, if turn out to be true, then that politician should not be here at all. If I was to think that way, then I would have been just like you and like them.
The tongue has no bones, yet it breaks bones and do you know the difference between my tongue and yours? The difference is that my tongue breaks your bones and that’s why you go mad and say you are doing this, you are doing that.” My tongue breaks and will keep breaking your bones, in terms of the political oratory, whereas your tongue doesn’t break bones, as people say about the tongue. Your tongue simply breaks the very foundations of the coexistence and elementary norms of good behavious and coexistence. It primarily breaks the natural contract between you and your children.
I wonder what you tell your children when you go back at home.
What do you tell your children when they listen to you speaking, barking and yelling by using the foulest words of the Albanian language on daily basis?
What do you teach your children?
Do you tell them to hate the ones they disagree with, to hate a child who defeats them in a race, and employ a barrage of offensive words against them? Is this what you teach your kids?
You surely teach them this and it is actually a misfortune for your children, for the children of those outside the parliament and for the children of all Albanians, when seeing lawmakers using such an offensive language.
And you claim you are doing this for Albania! You are doing this for the homeland! Don’t!
You claim you are worried about the people’s fate!
You are worried about the fate of the young people who are leaving the country and claim to convince them not to leave by resorting to such a language and offensive behaviour and repeatedly using the word deceitful and con man, thief, drug addict, criminal.
For you to know it clearly, I will stop my nose and will vote in favour of the political election commissions. I will vote them, because the process involves three parties, and because I am neither a dictator nor an autocrat, but I am simply the head of a political family that during its lifetime has taken over political and mathematical costs anytime election legislation has been approved, by making way for others, something that others wouldn’t have ever done if they were to be in the same position. This is why I am doing it, no matter whether you like it or not, no matter whether those outside like it or not, no matter whether like it or not all those who listen, imitate and speak the way you do, call themselves opposition and brawl with everyone thinking that life will become better if Luli and Ilir were to take office along with Sali, and Monika, while you here are just enjoying the bingo you won, because bingo is won only once. You won the bingo and enjoy it, but don’t follow the lead of those who bet and spent everything on alcohol everything they earned in gambling. You actually won nothing, but the roulette left and you were lucky to have the dices left. Do you think you will be again dicing at our expense?
Just think about how many things I, “the great dictator” according to you, will vote here unwillingly. Quite the contrary, I will stop my nose and I will vote. As far as the election bodies are concerned, where we nominated the former Deputy PM and Justice Minister in the previous centre-right government, a man who has been serving as lawmaker for many years and has never hesitated to attack Socialist Party whenever taking the floor in this parliament, a man whom I personally respect just for one thing. He is one of the many who have entered this hall under the pact and whose tongue breaks bones, but never breaking the foundations of good conduct and communication, just like many of you here and those outside parliament do. This is the only thing I praise him for. Yet, they reject his nomination.
In the meantime, I and the Socialist Party’s parliamentary group will vote against what I have repeatedly stated also here, that no political election commissions will be established and that the election commissions will be depoliticized and will be composed of civil servants. But for the Socialist Party to be able do this, it should gain the consensus of the other stakeholders, because it is for this reason that the Socialist Party differs from the Democratic Party. This is where I differ from them, Sali and everyone else, because, anyway, they will be in the pitch when the game is on, although they have walked out of the stadium currently and is involved in ping-pong training sessions at their party’s headquarters.
You want everything, and you want the open lists model be they way you like it; you want the election commissioners be depoliticized the way you want it; you want the election threshold lowered to 1% only, or the way you wish it to be; also run in election once you become party leaders, because you are nobody in many districts across the country. But who are you that want everything and do you think the Socialist Party is?
Do you think you have found a cow to fill the bucket accidentally fell into your hands? The very bucket that fell from Luli’s hand and you are now seeking to milk the Socialist Party.
It is impossible for everyone to get everything! We lowered the election threshold, even though what I think is not a secret. Smaller parties do no good to democracy and Albania and I haven’t come across any country where small party do good to them. The Green Party in Germany gains a lot more votes than the entire imaginary kingdom existing in your head.
My friends, it doesn’t work this way and above all it can’t work through the use of an offensive, blackmailing and threatening language, like the ones done by the one who is completely stripped of the President’s suit and does weightlifting at the Presidency’s gym.
The law will be adopted today and it will enter into force as rules stipulate it. The field is now open, and anyone seeking to run for a seat in parliament is granted the opportunity to do so, if he or she wins the required number of votes. Once you learn this lesson, you can venture into the long path to defeat the Socialist Party. Nobody, no political forces, no groups can take Socialist Party hostage. You need to learn this.
We all have repeatedly stated that coalitions won’t be banned, but we will civilize them. The coalitions cannot be herds of different species, emerging from different directions from the forest and gathering at the crossroads. Coalitions are a union of forces under a single logo.
What is this long train of coalition, with each wagon moving into a different direction! This happens because the idea is to gain whatever you.
This will no longer be the case!
The pre-election coalitions, just like it is the case in the European countries, will come together under a single election program and determine the person who will lead the coalition and the one who will take over the post of the Prime Minister and the governing team after the election. The previous coalitions will no longer exist as soon as lawmakers in this parliament will raise their hands to bury them once and forever.
Of course, the candidate lists will be open. Every candidate should earn the required number of votes and if the candidate listed high fails to do so, then he will be forced to clear the way to others ranking down the list. Nobody will now be able to be elected by taking advantage of the traditional Socialist voters.
This will no longer be the case!
Every candidate should win the required number of votes and take a deserved seat in parliament. If a candidate below him or her wins more votes, then it will be him to take the seat in parliament. What else could be more opened than this? We can’t draft a specific law for the sake of Ralf. This is impossible.
This is a law for the ones who can win votes and wish to take part in the race, and not for the ones who think they would just throw the throw the hook, because you may never know and you can win a seat in parliament.
This will no longer be the case! There will no longer be swimmers who dive under the fishing boat in order to catch something from the big fishing net. It is a sport that will be banned by vote today. They will be swimmers who will have to swim hard and cross the sea.
I wish you successes in next elections, you and Ilir Meta, Sali, Lult, Mona together with their canoes, boats, paddles and barbells!