Fatos Lubonja: Rama has shaped politics to serve the interests of those in power; as in Serbia, here too we want to bring down the authoritarian regime

In an interview with News24, analyst Fatos Lubonja compared the student movement in Serbia with political developments in Albania, stressing that the main similarity between them is the diversity of the forces opposing those in power, while the difference lies in their ability to unite around a common political project.

According to Lubonja, both in Serbia and in Albania, these movements include groups with different political and ideological beliefs.

He said their goal is the same: to bring down authoritarian regimes.

“The main similarity is that both movements, the one in Serbia and the student revolt here, are heterogeneous in the sense that there is no single homogeneous political force opposing Vučić. But there is something in Serbia that I see as similar to us.

There you will find liberal democratic forces, which we also have here in various forms. You will find more left-wing forces that support a social state, environmentalists, and conservatives with a different vision—groups you can also find here. There are also professionals who do not have much of a political orientation. But what brings them together? The authoritarian regime Vučić has built, and the fundamental demands for restoring democracy. That is what unites them in Serbia and Albania. We also share the goal of removing Edi Rama. These are the things we have in common,” Lubonja said on News24.

But, he said, the difference is fundamental: in Serbia, the diverse forces united, while in Albania this is not happening.

“What is the difference? The difference is fundamental: they united and built a coalition bringing together all these diverse groups to bring down the regime. That is clear; their vision for the future is less clear. They united and created the Student List. What we have failed to do is unite—the ability to come together, which has to do with our cultural issues.

“Unity means building the means for all these groups to find their place and agree on this political project,” he said, adding that “the leaders we have had, the latest being Rama, have shaped politics to serve their own interests in power, not the interests of Albanians.”