Osmani: Brvenica responded to anti-Albanian policies, VLEN created confusion after Jahiju’s victory

Bujar Osmani, vice president of the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), interpreted the diaspora’s extraordinary engagement and the coming together of citizens in Brvenica as a clear response to the policies of VMRO-DPMNE and the government, which he considers anti-Albanian and anti-European.

Speaking to “Shenja,” he said this mobilization demonstrated that citizens had begun responding to these policies. According to Osmani, their reaction sends a warning that such an approach cannot continue for long.

He said that although such policies might allow those pursuing them to get through a certain period, win an electoral battle or remain in government for a shorter or longer time, the era of anti-Albanian policies in Macedonia ended in 2001.

Osmani also commented on the positions taken by VLEN leaders following the victory of the Albanian candidate, Arkin Jahiju. He criticized them for failing to make a clear call for support for him throughout the electoral process and said their statements had caused confusion.

Meanwhile, he cited as a positive gesture the visit Arkin Jahiju’s opponent, whom he described as their candidate, paid to DUI’s campaign headquarters that night to congratulate the winner. According to him, the ambiguity in the VLEN leaders’ positions emerged after this gesture.

Explaining his criticism, Osmani said they had never called for support for the Albanian candidate in Brvenica, but had instead said that the best candidate should win or that ethics should not be confused with ethnicity.

Osmani described today’s VLEN statement, which says society has yet to build a multiethnic model, as scandalous. He interpreted the statement as VLEN apologizing to Albanians or citizens for the fact that the Albanian candidate had won the election.