The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, has reacted sharply in a video message published on social networks, following statements by Prime Minister Edi Rama on his podcast "Flasim".
Berisha said that Tirana has experienced "the most powerful protest in its history," saying that around 200,000 citizens participated in the rally demanding the government's resignation.
He further said that Rama is trying to blame the protests for the situation in the country, including the tourism sector, while describing the prime minister's stance as a disconnect from reality.
In the "Flasim" podcast, Rama said that he has received numerous messages from tourist operators, who report cancellations of reservations for the summer season due to the protests. According to him, this situation is directly affecting local businesses, the household economy and the income that the country benefits from tourism.
"Yesterday Tirana witnessed the most powerful protest in its entire existence, perhaps 200,000 citizens flooded its squares and streets demanding the resignation of Edi Rama. But as history has proven, dictators blinded by power do not listen to others, do not recognize reality and ultimately never make the right decisions."
Today in his monologue he tried again to blame the protest on tourism, and even brought examples of agencies that protest, the truth is that Rama's anti-rallies but also those of any agency are all anti-democratic acts since the number 1 enemy of tourism in Albania today is Edi Rama. I resign so that tourists can come since you raised it as a main issue.
He dwelled extensively on his old communist mindset about fascists and the fascist calls of the protesters. Edi Rama, you can't fool anyone with these.
The protesters are on a grand mission to overthrow the autocratic dictatorship that you installed together with the drug clans, criminal organizations and your government officials. Therefore, there is only one way, resign so that this summer can be the summer of the victory of democracy, the victory of the Albanians.
But in the protest there are and will be residents, Albanian citizens who do not live in Albania, who live in Kosovo, Macedonia, but who live throughout Europe and the world.
Albania is their beloved land and they experience with great pain the terrible drama that you created for this country by expelling from Albania, as with the platform of Vaso ?ubrillovi?, twice as many Serbs as in Kosovo, by expelling 1 million and 100 thousand Albanians in 10 years from the European Union alone.
You said that you do not negotiate two things, income and economic growth. But you and your oligarchs appropriate those incomes, while the Albanians are left with crumbs.
So what remains to be done, the most important act, resign before it's too late. This revolution, this protest, this movement has no end, it will fully realize its mission.
It is a liberation movement in relation to your authoritarian dictatorship. The movement will win ," said Berisha.