
Ervin Salianji appeared at a media conference where he commented on the referendum held on Saturday in the Democratic Party, a process from which Sali Berisha was reconfirmed as the leader of the party.
Salianji cast doubt on the membership's participation in the vote, claiming that the figures published by the DP leaders do not reflect reality, publishing security camera videos in front of the DP branch in Durres.
According to him, no more than 5 thousand members participated in the process, unlike the official claim of around 37 thousand voters.
The former Democratic MP described the referendum as a process without real competition and said that a large portion of Democrats have rejected it by not participating.
Salianji: The Duke abandoned Sali Berisha in his farce to usurp the DP. The Durrës branch cameras have only one entrance, the figures officially given were 37 thousand, they are exaggerated and invented like this whole farce. Unfortunately for all citizens, what happened with the DP and with this process had nothing to do with a political competition but a competition controlled by Sali Berisha.
It violated the most basic standards of the DP. I was excluded, although I was allowed to run by statute, and Berisha was allowed, although he should not have been. Every decision made by Berisha is a no. Alternative candidacies were prevented.
As soon as I started to express criticism of the leadership of the DP, a barrage of attacks was launched not only to stifle dissenting opinions but also to scare away any potential competitors. We have seen that deadlines and procedures were handled without transparency. A term referendum was invented that does not exist in the statute.
Instead of the DP opening up after losing the elections, the party was treated like a shop, like a business that brings in income. A party that does not accept the competition cannot even convince Albanians.
We demand democratic standards, we cannot be like Edi Rama. The problem is not an individual, given that I am 36 years after the fall of the dictatorship. My effort has been to destroy a political model that stands by force.
Democrats have not sacrificed for decisions made by a closed circle. We need a DP where the rules are respected. Where the competition is real and no one is above the statute.