Appearing on the program “NOW with Erla Mëhillin,” analyst Andi Bushati spoke about the protest, citizens’ demands and the government’s stance toward them. According to him, even if two million Albanians gathered in the square, under the current circumstances the government would not resign. Bushati also stressed that the protest should not be judged solely by whether it brings down Edi Rama.
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He said the protest had highlighted citizens’ exhaustion and deep dissatisfaction with Rama’s government, as well as with the political class as a whole. According to him, a very large number of Albanians have concluded that the situation cannot continue this way, as their living conditions are deteriorating.
“The protest has shown us that people are utterly exhausted by the Rama government in particular and by this political class in general. There is extreme dissatisfaction in the country, and a large number of Albanians have understood that enough is enough, because with this regime it is no longer possible to move forward and their lives are becoming increasingly difficult,” Bushati said.
The analyst emphasized that, regardless of how many days the protest lasts, it has already fulfilled an important part of its mission. He added that the protesters’ demands are addressed directly to Rama, while in democracies leaders step down when they face citizens’ dissatisfaction or wait for elections to leave office through the vote.
“In democratic countries, when leaders see that people are dissatisfied with them, they step down or wait for elections and leave through the vote. But in this country, where elections have been suppressed, even if two million Albanians took to the square, the government would have no reason to resign,” he declared.
Bushati argued that the outcome of the protest does not depend on the government’s response, since, in his view, it will continue to govern in the same way. He claimed that the government would continue to steal and, in order to cover up these actions, would ultimately also attempt to steal the votes.
“Even if people take to the streets in September, whether they are few or as numerous as they have been so far, I do not believe there could be a greater message than the one that has already been delivered. For this reason, the success of the protest is not measured by bringing down Rama,” the analyst said.
According to him, the protest has been successful because it has changed the perception of some citizens. He pointed out that previously the discourse was that people did not vote for Saliu and Qori, and therefore Rama was considered the best alternative. Now, according to Bushati, there is a force of citizens who reject this idea and consider Rama not the best, but the worst—and the first person they do not want to allow to decide their lives.
“This is the purpose of the protest. The other objectives are achieved by revolutions and cannot be achieved through a protest,” Bushati concluded.
