Assassination in Mirdita, threat in Orikum and shooting in Korçë, DP: The state is being openly challenged by crime, Rama cannot hide behind “Renaissance 2.0

The Democratic Party has issued a strongly worded statement following a series of serious criminal incidents that shook the country within a matter of hours, stressing that these episodes demonstrate an open challenge to the authority of the state.

Within a short period of time, Albania faced a series of violent acts. In Ndërfushaz, Mirdita, 65-year-old Viktor Bardhi was shot dead in the morning. At almost the same time, in Orikum, the owner of a resort reported that he had been threatened by armed individuals. Security camera footage shows at least eight vehicles arriving in front of the complex, blocking the area, with several people getting out of them. Following the intervention of law enforcement officers, one of the suspected vehicles crashed while fleeing, and three nationals and a weapon were found inside. Meanwhile, in Korçë, gunfire on the city ring road left one citizen injured, while police continue working to identify and arrest the perpetrator.

According to the opposition, these are not merely isolated episodes of crime reporting, but a show of force by the criminal world, which acts with the conviction that it will not have to confront the state. “When a group can organize eight vehicles, move in formation and surround a business in the middle of the day, we are no longer dealing only with a crime story, but with a signal that the authority of the Republic is being called into question,” the statement said.

While expressing support for police officers who face danger and carry out their duties professionally, the Democratic Party is calling for the immediate and full clarification of the circumstances, as well as for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. However, the Democrats warn that Albania cannot be governed through delayed responses. “The country is not governed by roadblocks set up after an assassination has taken place, police pursuits after a business has been surrounded, or statements issued after guns have been fired. The police cannot always remain one step behind crime; the state must always be one step ahead,” the statement emphasized.

After more than a decade in power, the DP directs its question to Prime Minister Edi Rama: how is it possible for organized groups to move around in eight vehicles to threaten a business, while guns are fired and people are killed or wounded on the country’s roads? According to the Democrats, the problem is not only visible crime, but also impunity and the weakening of state authority, which have emboldened the criminal world to operate openly.

The statement stresses that three such serious incidents in a single day cannot be concealed behind the propaganda of “Renaissance 2.0.” According to the DP, citizens do not need a revamped version of old slogans, but a state that controls the territory, protects life and property, and does not negotiate its authority with powerful criminals.

Presenting its alternative, the Democratic Party pledges that, in government, it will restore public security to the top of the state’s priorities. It promises to sever every link between politics, the police and the criminal world, free the blue uniforms from political appointments, and promote professionals on the basis of merit and integrity. It also aims to strengthen criminal intelligence and proactive investigations in order to strike organized groups before they act, as well as to crack down on illegal possession of weapons and the financial assets of crime.

The opposition’s closing message is unequivocal: the promise is not simply of an Albania without crime, but of a reality in which criminals fear the authorities, rather than citizens fearing criminals. According to the DP, a state that arrives only after a gun has been fired is not a state that guarantees security.