Protest Enters Its 70th Day, Berisha: The Most Powerful Youth and Civic Movement Since the 1990s

The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, spoke to citizens via social media this Saturday, discussing the protest, which has reached its 70th day. He described it as the most powerful youth and civic movement to have taken place in Albania since the 1990s.

According to Berisha, the protest has taken on pan-national dimensions, bringing together Albanians living in the country and those in various parts of the world around a shared concern.

He said that through this movement, Albanians’ conscience had also spoken with one voice on environmental issues. Berisha described these as vital matters, although, he said, they had previously been treated as secondary or tertiary concerns.

The Democratic Party leader said that all young Albanians protesting against environmental crimes deserved to be honored with a Freedom Medal. He also praised the civic spirit of the protest, calling it extraordinary.

Berisha emphasized that the protest is demanding the departure of Edi Rama, whom he described as an authoritarian dictator. He also referred to the way others have characterized Albania as an electoral autocracy, a term that, he said, is entirely synonymous with authoritarian dictatorship.

Speaking about the Democratic Party’s position, Berisha said that the political force had issued calls and taken every step to ensure the broadest possible participation by its members and supporters. He explained that Democrats had been invited to participate not as party representatives, but as citizens, while fully respecting the civic character of the protest.

He said he had supported the movement’s demands without reservation, since, according to him, the Democratic Party had waged an all-out battle over the same issues in parliament, in committees, at protests and in public squares.

Regarding the presence of Democrats, Berisha acknowledged that it could have been even larger. Nevertheless, he stated that the majority of participants who had joined and continued to take part in the protest were Democrats.

According to him, PD members and supporters needed some time to adapt to the situation because, alongside the demands he considered justified, the protest also featured slogans equating Edi Rama with Sali Berisha.

Explaining the reasons behind his and the Democratic Party’s call for participation, Berisha first cited the legitimacy of the protest’s demands. As for the slogans, he claimed that they belonged to the Democratic Party’s enemies.

The Democratic leader considered these slogans part of the “opposition to the opposition,” which he called a tool of the government. He added that the same slogan had also been spread by Soros-aligned groups, linking this to his deep hostility toward George Soros’s ideology and positions.

In conclusion, Berisha assured that the Democratic Party would do everything in its power to support the protest.