FLASH NEWS
“Rama in prison, Berisha in prison!” - The protest that tested the opposition! BIRN analysis: The DP was wrong with its initial stance, they cannot be against citizens who demand change
2026-06-20 10:44:06 / POLITIKË
The Democratic Party found itself in a difficult political position in the face of the citizen protest against a tourist project in the Narta lagoon in Zvërnec, behind which stands Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law.
In the first days of the protest, President Sali Berisha declared that he agreed with the investment and that Albania should welcome foreign investment and attacked those who were criticizing the opposition during the protest, describing them as "opposition against opposition" and "the true misery of Albanian politics and citizenship."
Meanwhile, a senior DP exponent, Flamur Noka, went even further, calling on protesters to remove the "Trojan horses", "mercenaries" and "kamikazes" who, according to him, were trying to divert the movement.
These positions showed a distance between the largest opposition party and a protest that was instigated by environmental activists and ordinary citizens, immediately creating the perception that the DP was against this protest, which served to direct the protesters' anger, in addition to the government and Prime Minister Edi Rama, towards the leader of the DP, Sali Berisha, a protagonist in Albanian politics since 1990.
Berisha only came out with a public stance on June 8, moving the DP from a defensive position against the protesters' criticism to full support for their five demands and the protest itself.
To demonstrate this support with actions, the Democratic parliamentary group undertook a legal initiative demanding the repeal of several controversial laws of the "Rama" government that are directly related to investments that endanger protected areas, such as the one on 'Strategic Investments', the law on 'Protected Areas', the 'Mountains Package' and on 'Cultural Heritage'.
Also on Wednesday, during the parliamentary group meeting, Berisha insisted that the opposition had always been against the laws that have enabled interventions in protected areas and that the protest should be supported.
But the slogan "Rama in prison, Berisha in prison" has now become one of the main slogans of the protest and comes after the demand for the Prime Minister's resignation.
In a civic revolt that has united individuals of different political persuasions and different social groups against corruption and the current model of governance, the Democratic Party has found itself in an unusual position. For the first time in many years, the largest opposition force not only does not have a leading role in the protest, but is being accused by some of the protesters of being part of the political establishment they seek to challenge.
Ndërkohë që PD nuk arriti të poziciononte veten në kohë pro kësaj proteste që sot ka marrë jehonë ndërkombëtare disa deputetë të saj u treguan më të qartë në qëndrimet e tyre publike e shumë prej tyre janë këto ditë dhe në mes të turmës së dhjetëra-mijëra protestuesve që marshojnë rrugëve të Tiranës me orë të tëra.
Deputeti i Tiranës, Belind Këlliçi i tha BIRN-it se kishte mbajtur qëndrim publik që ditën që ndodhi incidenti në Zvërnec gjatë një fjalimi në Kuvendin Kombëtar të PD dhe më pas kishte denoncuar në Parlament grabitjen e pronave në këtë zonë dhe në zona të tjera të Jugut.
Por ai pranoi se PD nuk kishte një qëndrim politik zyrtar në fillim të protestës dhe çdo reagim ka qenë në linja personale.
“Familja ime ka qenë çdo ditë në protestë, unë vetë kam dashur t’u bashkohem, por kam respektuar thirrjen e protestuesve për të mos krijuar ndonjë incident dhe kam marrë pjesë në marshimet pas protestës në disa netë si qytetar,” tha Këlliçi, duke shtuar se pavarësisht se nuk mbështeste thirrjet kundër liderit të opozitës, ai besonte se “ka më shumë gjëra që na bashkojnë, se sa na ndajnë”.
Për deklaratën e Berishës në 3 qershor ai beson se është keqkuptuar dhe nuk ka qenë sulm ndaj protestës.
“Kauza e protestës është madhore dhe kërkesat e protestuesve janë në sintoni me qëndrimet tona që kemi mbajtur edhe kundër ligjeve që ka miratuar kjo qeveri për zonat e mbrojtura dhe investimet strategjike”– theksoi Këlliçi.
Edhe Jorida Tabaku, një deputete që ka kundërshtuar në vijimësi në Kuvend ligjin për investimet strategjike, atë për zonat e mbrojtura e nisma të tjera të qeverisë që i kanë hapur rrugë investimeve në bregdet apo zona të mbrojtura, i tha BIRN-it se as ajo dhe as PD nuk është kundër protestës, por se e mbështesin atë.
“Që në ditën e parë të protestës kam parë aty shumë demokratë, anëtarë të strukturave të Partisë Demokratike dhe njerëz që përbëjnë bazën e saj. Kam takuar gjithashtu qytetarë me bindje të ndryshme politike, të djathtë, ambientalistë, të majtë të zhgënjyer, mes të cilëve edhe njerëz që më kanë votuar personalisht,” tha ajo.
Ndërsa nuk pranoi që të komentojë qëndrimet e ndryshme të kolegëve të saj demokratë, Tabaku komenton protestën si një frymë qytetare që nuk i përket asnjë force politike por që ‘pasqyron një pakënaqësi që shkon përtej kufijve partiakë’ dhe që e bashkon “kundërshtimi ndaj sistemit politik dhe ekonomik që po varfëron vendin dhe po përjashton shumicën e shqiptarëve”.
Tabaku e konsideron protestën si legjitime dhe kundër një sistemi kundër mënyrës se si është qeverisur Shqipëria gjatë këtyre 13 viteve. “Dhe kur qytetarët kërkojnë ndryshim, opozita nuk mund të jetë kundër tyre; ajo duhet të jetë pjesë e kësaj beteje për ta ndryshuar këtë sistem”– përfundoi ajo.
For political analysts, the DP's hesitation to support the civic revolt showed that the main opposition party was wavering and indecisive, while the reversal of course is considered overdue.
"The DP was wrong with its initial stance towards the protest," Ermal Hasimja, a lecturer in Political Science, told BIRN, a stance that, according to him, showed "vacillation and indecision."
But, in any case, he believes that Berisha's initial stance was more misinterpreted than an attack on the protest.
"In fact, he did not oppose the protest, but supported American involvement in the investment and attacked those who lump Rama and the opposition together, and this was interpreted as opposition," he added.
For Hasime, the slogan that equates Rama with Berisha does not serve the cause of the protest and seems to fit "the strategy of Rilindja, which has practically been to convince the electorate that everyone is the same."
"People may be disappointed with the entire political elite, but at this moment, equalizing responsibilities takes the focus off the real responsibility that is socialist governance, " he stressed.
Rigels Xhemollari, head of the organization "Citizen Center", also considers the DP's reflection and support for this protest to be belated and links this to Berisha's own political interests.
“Other interests related to the Trump family and the Zvërnec project prevailed for the DP leader over the interests of citizens,” he told BIRN.
According to Xhemollari, the protest also created divisions within the party itself, between those who wanted to be in the protest and those who opposed it, such as the secretary general, Flamur Noka. “Even the media and journalists close to the DP followed the line of smearing and attacking the protest,” he added of the first days of the protest.
According to Xhemollari, only when they saw that they could not undo it did they decide to support it, but by turning a deaf ear to the main slogan 'Rama in prison, Berisha in prison', a slogan that is related to the behavior of this party towards the ruling party or its previous government.
"The protesting citizens make the DP complicit in the bargains and agreements at the expense of the national interest, they see it as an enemy of SPAK and the new justice system and they do not trust that this opposition offers them a fair political-economic system, " he concludes./BIRN
Happening now...
What did he say that didn't work out?
Nga Alfapress
ideas
The protest that united Albanians!
Nga Azgan Haklaj
The rise and fall of comrade Edi
Nga Demush Shasha
The Alliance of Seals and Towers, facing the New Republic
Nga Azgan Haklaj
top
Alfa recipes
TRENDING 
services
- POLICE129
- STREET POLICE126
- AMBULANCE112
- FIREFIGHTER128