Socialist MP Erion Braçe said on Wednesday, during a conversation with Erla Mëhilli on the “Now” program, that he remains determined to run for mayor of Tirana. Commenting on developments within the Socialist Party and the overall political situation in the country, he made it clear that he would continue the battle he has begun.

Asked by Mëhilli whether he was still committed to his plan to run in the capital, Braçe said the issue had not received attention because of the algorithm and the focus on the protest. He stressed that he had given no indication that he was withdrawing and that he was not seeking to be appointed, receive favors, gain a career opportunity, or be rewarded for the work he had done so far.

According to Braçe, his demand is for the candidate to be selected through a process in which Socialists make the decision. The MP said he would seek their votes, as well as the support of citizens considered undecided. He is calling for an open and democratic contest that will produce the candidate who will take Tirana’s transformation to a new stage and standard.

When the host asked how he would proceed if Rama did not take his proposal into consideration, Braçe replied that the battle would continue. He emphasized that holding internal elections is a statutory obligation and that the race for Tirana would help strengthen democracy within the party.

Braçe said he was ready to compete against Ogerta, Arbër, or any other candidate, adding that the Socialist Party has no reason to take a step backward.

The post Braçe on His Candidacy in Tirana: Even If Rama Sticks with Manastirliu, I Will Not Withdraw; Internal Elections Are a Statutory Obligation appeared first on Albeu.com.

During Wednesday’s edition of “Now with Erla Mëhilli,” Erion Braçe commented on the disputes within the Socialist Party. He said that an internal battle is taking place within the party and that some people are trying to eliminate him politically.

Braçe said his messages are made public with the aim of humiliating him, which he described as very serious. According to him, a discussion leaked from a meeting of the Parliamentary Group had also been altered before being presented to the public as: “He told him to fuck off.” He insisted that the incident had not happened that way and that it had been published to target him politically.

The MP said the person who leaked the information wants to remove him from the Parliamentary Group’s internal arena, where that person has seen him for years and regards him as a rival and a problem. Braçe added that he himself has no issue with anyone’s presence and views these people as colleagues.

When Erla Mëhilli asked whether Edi Rama could be behind this, Braçe replied that it was not him, stressing that they were there to speak openly.

He then cited an incident that occurred nearly 46 days earlier, when female MPs were pelted with eggs. Braçe said he had written in the group that the police should be notified and had also spoken up in support of the women, but his message was relayed to the media with the interpretation that he had called for police intervention.

According to Braçe, such conduct has not been directed only against him, as others like him have experienced the same thing. He said he considers these actions attempts to eliminate him, and that this is precisely why he has concluded that there is an internal battle within the Socialist Party.

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Socialist MP Erion Braçe has forcefully dismissed reports of a heated clash with Prime Minister Edi Rama during yesterday’s meeting of the SP Parliamentary Group and the government team, calling them pure fabrications.

In a video-recorded message, Braçe clarified that no one forced him to leave the hall. He left of his own accord, after the session was interrupted and there was nothing more worth listening to.

Deeply indignant, the MP insisted that the person who made public the content of the discussions at that closed-door meeting, with the aim of politically striking at colleagues, must be held accountable and serve as an exemplary case. Braçe then shared detailed specifics about the event.

“Yesterday, before I spoke at the Socialist Party parliamentary group meeting, I asked everyone present – who, frankly, were more than just MPs – not to leak a single word of what I would say. And this happened at the start of the session. Yet here we are, reading a distorted version of the facts,” he stated.

Braçe added: “Now that yesterday it was promised that someone who leaks internal words to politically destroy another would be made an example of, I can hardly wait to see if the word will be kept. If this does not happen, I will have to reconsider my position. No one chased me out of that meeting. Impossible. I sat down after I had nothing more to add, and after I had said there – not just in this meeting, but in previous ones, at much greater length and with more arguments – everything that socialists have been repeating for a year, and that I have been hearing here in Tirana all this time.”

He concluded by re-emphasizing: “I went outside after the meeting was interrupted and, naturally, I left on my own, since I had no further reason to stay. That is the simple truth.”

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The journalist approached Braçe for an interview, but the socialist’s reaction was immediate and aggressive.

As seen in the footage, Braçe then also clashes with a diaspora activist, whom he accuses of growing drugs in Great Britain.

In an attempt to clarify the incident, Braçe channels the tension toward the diaspora activist, who also recorded the footage of the clash.

The event comes at a time of heightened political tension in Tirana, as citizens’ protests demanding the removal of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government have been ongoing for days in Tirana.

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