Eurasia Press & News
For years on, Socialist chief Edi Rama and Democratic Party boss Lulzim Basha face each other again in a parliamentary election – and not much has changed in the meantime, except the slogans.
As Albania heads towards parliamentary elections on April 25, Socialist Party chief and Prime Minister Edi Rama is aiming for an unprecedented third term at the helm of government, while the main opposition Democratic Party under Lulzim Basha is challenging him once again.
This is not the first time this duo is going head-to-head. Four years ago, Rama defeated Basha in an election which, according to the OSCE/ODIHR monitoring mission, was held “in the context of longstanding and deep political divisions… as well as low public trust”.
Not much has changed since.
The two rival parties and leaders have created a tense pre-election atmosphere, marked by ugly incidents and heated debates.
With both parties now in the finishing stages of their campaigns, Rama maintains that he needs a third term to “finish what he started” while Basha – who withdrew his parliamentary group from parliament two years ago – seeks a mandate to “change Albania”.
Rama’s slogan in the campaign has been “Albania, our future!”, while Basha’s is, “Together for change. Albania wins”.
