Erion Braçe on Arbër Hajdari’s rumored candidacy in Tirana: He has potential, but there must be a contest within the SP

During the program “Goca dhe Gra,” SP MP Erion Braçe was asked about Arbër Hajdari’s rumored candidacy for the Municipality of Tirana. He said he welcomed the prospect of facing him, if the party holds an internal contest to choose its candidate.

Ori Nebiaj asked Braçe how he viewed Hajdari’s candidacy, noting that he had been associated with FRESSH since childhood and was regarded as a longtime socialist.

Braçe replied that Hajdari’s candidacy was not for him to decide. If the two of them were to face each other in the contest for the candidacy, he said, he would welcome it. As an example, he mentioned Habibi in America, who initially defeated a candidate within his own party. Without going into further detail about Arbër, Braçe said he wanted to address socialists first and then all the citizens of Tirana. According to him, anyone with ambition represents potential.

Asked which figure he would bring back to the SP, Braçe mentioned Dritëro Agolli. He said Agolli held his own positions, rather than those of the party, and that he would always be welcome both in the SP and in parliament. Braçe recalled that Agolli expressed his opinion even when he had the chamber against him and, in his view, he prevailed.

Braçe spoke out against expulsions, saying that everyone was free to stay or leave. He mentioned Ervin Hoxha as his close friend and Aulona Bylykbashi as his friend. Speaking about insults, he said that when someone insults him, it is that person’s personal issue. According to Braçe, he blocks 200–300 people a day, but only after responding to their insults. He stressed that dignity is sacred to a person and raised concerns about networks that exist solely to hurl insults.

The MP said that he does his own grocery shopping and that today one kilogram of tomatoes cost 180 lekë. He also spoke about his colleagues’ reaction when he raised the issue of the law on the menstrual cycle in the parliamentary group: according to him, they looked at him strangely. Braçe said the issue was also linked to sexual and reproductive health. He added that the response he received was concern that people were leaving tender committees and finding reasons not to sign.