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Who are the names being rumored as Veliaj's successors in the Municipality of Tirana?

2025-06-16 11:55:37Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Who are the names being rumored as Veliaj's successors in the Municipality of Tirana?

With Erion Veliaj in prison, the capital is smelling of partial local elections! Now that the one elected in 2023 is spending 5 months in the Durrës detention cell, his dismissal from office seems to be simply a procedure that is expected to happen very soon.

And maybe sooner than you think. So it is appropriate to think about who will be his successor in office. Names are being discussed up and down Tirana about which of the socialists will compete for the position left vacant by "lali Eri", while the opposition also seems not to have taken the most important municipality in the country out of its attention. 

Therefore, ZËRI will summarize in one article all those who are rumored to be contenders to succeed Veliaj as head of the Municipality of Tirana. 

Who are the names being rumored as Veliaj's successors in the Municipality
Arber Hajdari

A name that is often mentioned, even as a contender for MP over the years, is that of Arbër Hajdari. He does not seem to be engaged with the Socialist Party, but it cannot be said that he is a right-wing, oppositional, or critical figure of the government. Hajdari has created a curated public profile with his charity foundation, with which he often collaborated with Veliaj. Also, in recent years his popularity has reached its peak with the role of an op-ed in the "Big Brother VIP Albania" format. His name is rumored, it is not the first time, but this time it could really happen.

Who are the names being rumored as Veliaj's successors in the Municipality
Ogerta Manastirliu

Another rumored candidate is former Minister of Health, currently Minister of Education and Sports, Ogerta Manastirliu. As the political leader of the Tirana district, she seems to have worked to convince the Socialist Party leader that she could do a good job even without Mayor Veliaj. She emerged victorious in her areas, although her mandate was secure since she was assigned to the closed list of the capital. As one of the oldest ministers in the cabinet, she may have gained the trust of the leader of the Socialists, Edi Rama, for a new challenge, with and for herself. Thus, she would become the second minister to break away from the cabinet and the Assembly to lead a local institution. The first was Erion Veliaj, who served as Minister of Social Welfare and Youth during his first term.

Who are the names being rumored as Veliaj's successors in the Municipality
Elisa Spiropali

Another socialist who is being talked about is Elisa Spiropali. But unlike her colleague, Spiropali has some disadvantages. Under her political leadership 2 years ago she won the Municipality of Shkodra, but in these elections, she lost in Kavaja and Kamëz, where the socialists have only recently been able to take over the leadership of the local government. However, she seems to have a big bet to decide, to leave the position of speaker of parliament, to run for the first of the city.

Who are the names being rumored as Veliaj's successors in the Municipality
Blendi Gonxha

The latest to be rumored by the socialists is a person who is not the first time running the affairs of the capital. We are talking about the Minister of Economy, Culture and Innovation, Blendi Gonxhja. In 2000, Blendi Gonxhja was appointed and served as deputy mayor of Tirana at a time when the institution was led by the now Prime Minister Edi Rama. He may have an advantage over other figures, precisely because he is better known than everyone else with the affairs of Tirana, but also with the vision that the head of government has for the center of the country, however, nothing is certain yet. But there are doubts! Due to the great support that Gonxhja received in the parliamentary elections, where he accumulated more than 20 thousand votes, his name has been even more curved. Unlike the others, he was even asked if he would accept the position, if it were offered to him. But Gonxhja, in his answer, chose to be "politically correct".

Blendi Gonxhja: I feel sorry for Erion Veliaj himself, for his family, he was among the most important people in the Socialist Party. The bitterness that I feel from the moment his name and the notion, the Municipality and the mayor, Veliaj, are mentioned to me is so great that I cannot allow it, I am unprepared for this. We have nothing in our hands in this part, I hope that he emerges victorious and clean. I have no personal career plan, I have always been called to ask if I am available for a certain cause, I have not programmed anything for a personal ambition, after what happened in the Municipality of Tirana. The vote of confidence in Tirana is a retribution, for that knife, that interrupted my career in 2002 and that this is something that has to do with everything in my life, it is also related to my family. There is nothing else that is related to the vote in Tirana and to this rest. The Municipality of Tirana is a very important institution, if we do our job as deputies in Tirana and if we make sure that local government makes people's lives easier, it would not be a small thing that we would do. If we as deputies do everything for our area, I think I have done a lot for the vote of confidence that was given to me. Many hearts in Tirana have voted for me as deputy and I must be very careful about this vote.

But there is no peace from the Democrats either. One of the names being discussed is the lawyer Adriana Kalaja, who has attempted to run once again for the position of the first citizen of Tirana. But she lost the race in the first battle within the party, where the Democrats ultimately chose Belind Këlliçi to represent them. The latter has already regained his mandate as an MP, so it seems unlikely that he will leave his mandate again to run once again in the local elections. Especially after the heavy defeat he suffered against Erion Veliaj in his last confrontation with him.

Who are the names being rumored as Veliaj's successors in the Municipality
Adriana Castle

But do you know who does not have a mandate as an MP? Doctor Ilir Alimehmeti! He is also one of the most voted names in the parliamentary elections that were held more than a month ago. His popularity with the public is unparalleled compared to other candidates from the Democratic Party and he still has the image of a young politician, untested and untainted by accusations. Alimehmeti was a strong contender for Këlliçi, with whom he ran in the runoff in the internal party elections in 2023, and he was the one who let the younger one continue with his ambition by supporting him on the ground. 

Who are the names being rumored as Veliaj's successors in the Municipality
Ilir Alimehmeti

He is also favored by the Democrats with the new thesis put forward by Agron Shehaj, who calls for the unification of opposition forces to take over the Municipality of Tirana from the majority. For this, he is looking for a non-political name. Asked if Alimehmeti would be a good option, Shehaj did not say "no". Even the leader of the Democrats, Sali Berisha, has no reason not to choose the doctor, so his name seems to be the safest from the opposition. 

But! 

By statute, the Democratic Party must conduct the Primary process to elect the most voted candidate, so if the opposition in the Assembly agrees to unite, they must find a new formula to elect their common candidate./ Z?ERI

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