The crisis that has gripped Albania is getting deeper and the situation of the economy, democracy is deterioratig sharply with every passing day, declared the Chairman of the Socialist Party Edi Rama during his weekly conversation with journalists.

Mr. Rama declared that the revision of the budget is a certain indicator of the economic crisis that the government is trying to hide by manipulating the data, while the way in which the budget was approved constitutes further proof of the lack of functional democracy in Albania. The attempt to put the Informative Service under the control of the government, Rama stated was but an additional fact that shows that the Albanian government is not willing to accept the norms and standards that guide democratic life in a NATO country, but is instead guided by obscure interests in whose name it is willing to go even against the interests of NATO and the US. Rama also said that the latest crisis with the President, whom the majority accuses of violating the Constitution and blocking the Constitutional Court is but a product of the attempts on the part of the government to get all aspects of life in Albania under its control.

“The language that was used against the President, the arguments that were used against him are no more and no less than the expression of a deep crisis, a crisis which is first and foremost an organic crisis of this government which stems from a robery and cannot stand up if it does not subjugate everything. Which of course it will not manage to. This is the reason why today we have a government that more than ever constitutes in the eyes of the Albanians our gravest problem; a problem which we have to solve in order to be able then to address the major problems our country is faced with and which will simply get bigger and harder to solve if this grave problem that is the present government continues to stand as an obstacle between us and the future. An obstacle to our path towards integration, welfare, employment.”

Asked about his expectations for September, and the political climate when parliamentary life resumes, Rama declared that for Albania to get out of its present difficulties, one must first solve the crisis. And this he said, requires the removal of the government: “If this government does not leave there will be only further deterioration, not because of us, of the Albanian opposition, not because of the President of the Republic, not because of the Head of the Informative Service, not because of NATO or the US, and not because of all those people who are losing hope with every day that goes by. It will simply be because of the bad governance and the greed that characterises every day life under this government that stole its mandate.

Commenting the accusations levelled by the majority at the President, Rama said that going into a discussion on the rights and wrongs of DP’s claims about the violation of the Constitution is simply a loss of time and respect for oneself. “The wake up every morning with both their feet planted on the Constitution, and at night, before going to bed they put both their shoes on top of the Constitution. They are constantly violating the Constitution.” ... read more