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The Statute Review and Berisha's Sinking Boat
2026-03-16 16:11:40 / IDE
In politics, there are moments when a party decides to review its statute to refresh itself and adapt to the times. But there are also cases when the statute is reviewed not to reform the party, but to save the leader. What happened today in the blue headquarters seems more like the second case.
The decision of the Democratic Party Presidency to launch an internal electoral process, which will culminate in the National Assembly in June, at first glance seems like an attempt at institutional normalization. The election of branch chairmen and the race for party leader are processes that every party must carry out in order to be democratic. But when these processes are accompanied by a review of the statute and strong internal tensions, then the question arises: are we dealing with reform or political maneuvering?
The establishment of a working group for statutory changes is perhaps the most significant element of this entire development. It is precisely the statute that defines the rules of the game, and when the rules are rewritten at a time when the party leader is facing a questionable electoral balance and a deeply losing one, suspicion is inevitable.
One of the most sensitive issues is the so-called “Basha article”, which provides for the removal of the party leader in the event of a defeat in the parliamentary elections. The political irony is clear: this article was articulated and forcefully promoted by Sali Berisha himself during his battle against Lulzim Basha, as a moral standard for the leadership of the party. Today, when this standard falls on its own author, the discussion about changing the statute appears as an attempt to relativize it.
The Democratic Party once proclaimed that the rules were the same for everyone. But today it seems as if the statute is approaching the logic of George Orwell: some are equal, but some are more equal than others.
This is why critical voices have begun to emerge within the Democratic Party and others have abandoned it and resigned because they do not see a future with Berisha at the helm of the DP. The reaction of Ervin Salijanj, who warned that the opposition cannot fall into the trap of changing the rules and attacking internationals, shows that the clash is not only procedural, but also political. In a party that has been living between factions and internal rivalries for years, any change in the statute can be perceived as an attempt to consolidate the power of one group.
Instead of serving as an instrument for uniting the democrats, the process that has begun risks producing another cycle of division. A statute that is changed in a moment of crisis is not seen as a moral contract of the party, but as a mechanism for political survival.
In this context, the harsh rhetoric against European Union representatives adds another dimension to the debate. The Albanian opposition has historically sought the support and legitimacy of Western partners. The attack on European diplomats, regardless of the reasons for the moment, creates the impression of a confrontational strategy that does not serve a political force that claims to be an alternative to the government.
Albert Camus would say that absurdity arises when one tries to find logic where there is only repetition of the same story. The Democratic Party seems to be living precisely this absurdity: an endless cycle of clashes, rewriting of rules, and internal battles that keep the party away from what should be its main mission – confronting the government.
In the end, the main problem of the Democratic Party is not the statute. The problem is trust. A party that changes the rules every time it faces a crisis risks losing not only political battles, but also the trust of its members.
Therefore, revising the statute can only be a useful process if it aims to modernize the party and establish new democratic standards. But if it turns into an attempt to keep a worn-out leadership afloat, then it is more like an attempt to repair a boat that is already taking on water.
Political history has often shown that when a boat starts to sink, the problem is not solved by changing the rules of navigation. It is only solved by changing direction.
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