Bardhi: Consultations on the local elections are a political theater

The head of the Democratic Party’s parliamentary group, Gazment Bardhi, rejected President Bajram Begaj’s invitation to hold consultations on the date of the upcoming local elections.

Bardhi called the process a “political theater” and accused Begaj of failing to fulfill his constitutional duties, while not responding to citizens’ concerns about free and fair elections.

In his response, Bardhi said he had just learned of the letter from the Office of the President regarding consultations on the date that, according to him, Edi Rama has predetermined for the local elections. He said he viewed this “political theater” with disgust and contempt.

According to Bardhi, Bajram Begaj’s invitation is dismissive and does not merit comment. He said that Albania does not have a president who fulfills the constitutional role, but rather, as he put it, a minister without a portfolio serving Edi Rama.

Bardhi pointed out that citizens are gathered in the square, among other reasons, to demand guarantees for free and fair elections. He said that a president who genuinely exercised his constitutional function would treat the matter as a democratic emergency and seriously address the concerns that have brought citizens into the streets for months.

He added that the president should not remain silent in the face of these concerns, but should be the voice of the Constitution, democracy and the citizens. According to Bardhi, instead of fulfilling this duty, Begaj chooses to remain a spectator and serve those in power, rather than protect the institution he represents.