Speech by Prime Minister Edi Rama at plenary session of Assembly:
Hello everyone!
I decided to take the floor at the start of this session, because I will be travelling to Italy in a bid to explain to the public of the neighbouring country that ugly and really worrisome video footage on the news are not showing of a popular uprising, but a reaction within the house of politics from that part of the political establishment of Albanian people that failed to show the slightest sense of reality and reflection, first and foremost, about itself.
What is happening today is the continuation of an ongoing impasse, with the only new development being a politically suicidal decision by the opposition’s political leadership as a result of the complete lack of self-esteem and Albania.
Indeed, this is a new episode of a familiar series.
I don’t think it would be hard for you to recall the situation that took place precisely two years ago this period, when a big tent was erected in the boulevard and from there, a journey to build the “New Republic,” started, with the non-negotiable condition for a provisional government without Edi Rama serving as Prime Minister that would ensure conduct of an election process as those who have ultimately left from this Parliament wished.
We put the country’s interest above the narrow partisan interests and took an unprecedented step in the history of Albania’s political conflicts, making available to the opposition whatever they asked for and facing discontent among the majority of our party supporters. They took over the Ministry of Interior and every other ministry they asked for, including that of Education, Health, and Finance, thinking that they were electoral ministries and that the Socialist Party could use them for electoral purposes.
Why?
For quite a simple reason, because this was exactly what they had done while in power.
For first time in history of elections in Albania, the opposition was granted the chairmanship of the Central Election Commission – and you know well the ongoing disputes within the Central Election Commission in the history of Albanian elections – and the opposition had the majority of CEC members. For the first time, not a single complaint over the elections was filed with the Electoral College, the specialized appeals court for election disputes.
Why did we do all this?
We did all this by asking for two things only:
First, whoever was to win elections would govern the country. Whoever loses would concede defeat and stay in opposition;
Second, Albania’s name would no longer be reviled and dragged through mud whenever speaking in a foreign language.
These were our two main conditions.
Everybody now knows the election results. It is also known the fact that totally calm period followed the elections, with nobody contesting the outcome as the opposition’s representatives in the election commissions, without exception, they all signed the final results without filing any complaints, while the Central Election Commission voted unanimously to certify the results.
We have all witnessed the kind of the opposition we have had in this hall. A handful of people lacking ideas, a program, a sense of responsibility to represent those who voted for them to be here, not to demonstrate muscles, neither to make an ugly show when it comes to ethics and courtesy that every Albanian family have traditionally taught their children.
We were often drawn towards their quagmire and, sadly, we often became part of that quagmire. You know quite well how it all degraded into an unacceptable situation in terms of any norm of democratic coexistence between the opposing sides and today we are here with them having already left.
Another part of the opposition has chosen and are increasingly deciding to take their seats in the Parliament. It is their right and it the way they see their obligation towards voters. But it is up to us to render Parliament the dimensions of the citizens’ plights, problems, hopes and expectations, finally providing them the opportunity to listen from the Assembly of Albania what we do in this process we have been elected for, why we decide to pass the legislation we adopt here and which are our ideas and legislative measures regarding all sectors of the country’s life.
What is going to happen with those out there it is a question that their voters should make them.
As far as we are concerned, we are here to go on with our work and to carry out our task. This Parliament is the place where most Albanians have voted us to be and have assigned us the task of governing them until 2021.
Our term in office and or mandate is not a playing card. We don’t gamble with our mandate as they do. Several interest groups, which have been defeated in our state-building battle, lurk behind them, ranging from the gambling funders and other interest groups that certainly have the right and good reasons to be angry with this government and be angry about losing many privileges. It is not a coincidence that a huge looser of millions of euros in the gambling industry stood on the legendary leader’s side, encouraging others to attack policemen. This is not a coincidence.
It is not a coincidence that a former head of the gambling supervisory authority, a very notorious individual as coordinator of all wrongdoings in that scum industry, was and is still there, not only in the role of protester and not only as an inspirer, but also as manager of everything happening there, but, after all, this is their choice. What should be said is that their movement can cause no harm to the Socialist Party, the ruling majority and the government itself. Should there be a zone, unaffected by fumes and smoke and destructive attempts, it is precisely this zone, the zone of politics, where we enjoy majority.
Everything else is affected.
Albania is affected as the renowned tenor Saimir Pirgu said: “It will take me at least 200 concerts to remove the image of the burning tyres in front of the Assembly of Albania.”
Albania is affected, because public in Italy or elsewhere takes no trouble to try to figure out and think carefully about. Those images simply revive the old ghost of an Albania plunged into chaos, instability and a country that provides no safety let alone fresh opportunities for investors and economic development.
Albania is badly affected at a time when Italian investors are increasingly showing their interest in Albania. Few days ago, a transaction was finalized with a large Italian investor entering Albania’s manufacturing sector.
Of course, it affects every Albanian who own a shop, whether they be Socialists or Democrats, because, given these conditions, people tend to spend and consume less. I have already told the story of a florist I know for 30 years now. I walked in her shop and she said it was the first bouquet she was selling since Feb 16.
Of course, when such things happen, people always tend to backtrack on everything that is part of their daily lives’ needs or desires, because these events trigger insecurity and self-defence needs. It is clear that any kind of such show affect and have direct impact on consumption. This is what I would tell to all of those who are in their right not to support our government, yet they need the economy to keep growing and want to have their small businesses unharmed.
What we are going to solve by doing so?
Nothing else, but hurting our own selves. Everyone would harm his own self when following the crowd.
Why are they protesting?
They are demanding what they have been always demanding the power be handed to them. They are demanding what we can’t grant them, to undo the game rules and transform the process into an absurd process, thus creating also a precedent that is unacceptable not only to us, but to no other country too, to no Albania’s international partner and that is the precedent for the opposition to relinquish parliamentary mandates and seek the game change when they figure out that they stand no chance of winning the elections. Who would accept this?!
We have experienced such a situation once. We granted them everything they asked for. Lulzim (Democratic Party leader) and every member of the then cabinet, be them either from Democratic Party, Socialist Party or Socialist Movement for Integration, hey all know quite well that I never set foot in the Prime Minister’s office from the very first day of that cabinet. Just like everyone else, I was campaigning and the government was headed by the Deputy Prime Minister coming from the Democratic Party. I never set foot in my office at that time.
Then it is quite simple. We will carry on with stronger determination and dedication to our job. We have a lot of things to do and a lot of other things to improve.
We have done a lot in all sectors. We haven’t been given the opportunity to inform people properly amidst the cacophony and smokescreen produced at every Thursday’s session of this Parliament, where they have spoken ill of everything, but nothing has been said about what Parliaments are established for and about what this Parliament works. No parliamentary debate has been ever held to discuss issues in public’s interest; no debate has been ever held about taxes! Meanwhile, those protesting out there are proposing reinstatement of a 9 percent flat tax, meaning that small businesses, the backbone of the economy, which now pay an income tax rate ranging from zero to five percent, should take to protests so that those who pledge to impose a 9 percent rate seize power. And do not forget that they seized power (in 2005) just because SP was involved in a political infighting. They stand no chance of ever becoming a governing majority, let alone today when our majority is compact and determined.
We just need calmness and determination.
We can’t choose the opposition, others did, yet, although as bad as all that self-harm is to them it might turn out to be a good thing for the country. It is time for Albanians to see that they are not the only solution and choice, because there are many more other solutions and choices. There are others who have taken their seats today, while others will follow the suit, no matter how many of them, there are many others outside these walls who have been eager to escape from the same faces, with the same rhetoric and same old story of abusive speech that have nothing to do with the politics.
On our part, we should reflect about what is not going well and what we need to do and move forward, without forgetting our agenda of daily work because we are governing the country.
I would like to reiterate what several colleagues have already stated: We are always ready to talk at any moment. Our hand is reached out and we are always ready to talk. We are ready to dialogue on everything, but we aren’t and will never be ready to negotiate the fundamental rules that make the difference between this system, with constituents electing candidates and the elected ones respecting the mandates granted by the people, and any other system. We are not ready to do this.
We would never negotiate democracy, parliamentarism and, above all, the mandate we have been given by the overwhelming majority of the citizens.
I want to strongly and clearly emphasize this. Albania is set to hold local elections in June. They know well they stand not a single chance. You all know this because they have constantly acknowledged it. I also know it because I have heard it from the third largest party in opposition that has admitted they stand no chance of winning back a single municipality we currently run and stand minor chances of winning the half of municipalities they currently run. They know it quite well. What we should do is that we win all municipalities, every single one of them, so that we can provide citizens in Kukes, Shkoder, and in Tropoja, if you will, the opportunity to finally be governed by normal people who now to build cities and push for urban and rural development, and who know how to change history of a community. Don’t they want us to win all municipalities? Let them then show up in the battlefield and see what happens.
We have granted them the opportunity to draft the election law as they wish, based on the clear recommendation of the European Council, stipulating that Albania should adopt an electoral reform in full compliance with the OSCE/ODHIR recommendations. Not only have they turned down call for dialogue, but they have also refused to listen.
Last summer we have carried out a series of tests at the Socialist Party headquarters, simulating polling stations by involving various citizens for the application of e-voting and e-vote counting in order to have a clear idea whether application of technology in the elections is possible. Based on the outcome of this tests we have drawn the conclusion that we can apply an e-voting and e-counting pilot project in several administrative units. This was the refrain I used to listen from dawn to dusk when the tent was erected right under my office’s windows; e-voting, e-voting, e-voting.
Everything is ready for this. We have told it since the very first day.
They insist on some alleged wiretaps and files, the so-called file 933, or 126 or 622. They keep fooling Albanian people and keep acting like a drowning man clutching at a straw. We keep inviting them to press ahead with this reform effort.
With the new opposition now in the Parliament we will push the electoral reform forward. We won’t travel to Brussels in June and tell them: forgive us, but we failed to finalize the reform, because they left Parliament. Where did they go? We don’t know. What are they doing? We don’t know. When will they come back? We don’t know.
We can’t do that.
We will find a way to dialogue with the opposition that will take seats in this hall and we will move forward based exactly on the ODHIR recommendations and the accord will all international experts and election specialists. Just like we will move forward with the migrants vote and we will then see who represents the majority among the Albanian people.
Thank you!
