Democrats still without candidates for local elections in Tirana and five other municipalities

The Democratic Party has yet to find its candidates for the November 9 local by-elections in Tirana, Vlora, Berat, Tepelenë, Mat, and Cërrik. After meeting on Saturday, the party’s leadership decided that instead of nominating political figures, it will endorse independent candidates in all six municipalities.

Why is this important: The party that led the post-communist transition of Albania and long dominated its political scene alongside the Socialists now faces an unprecedented crisis: it is facing serious difficulties in finding viable figures within its ranks to run for Tirana. The irony runs deeper when considering that for two years the Democrats protested outside Tirana City Hall demanding Mayor Erion Veliaj’s resignation, yet failed to prepare a single alternative candidate to replace him.

Context: According to party sources, the Democrats have invited “personalities from different fields” to submit their candidacies early next week. Party leader Sali Berisha explained the move as an attempt to “maximize the opposition vote” by attracting support beyond traditional party lines. The decision follows a significant electoral setback in May’s parliamentary elections, where the Democrats dropped from 59 to 50 seats in parliament.

Berisha reiterated that the opposition should not boycott the by-elections — even though, in his view, Prime Minister Edi Rama and President Bajram Begaj violated the Constitution by setting the election date while Veliaj’s appeal remains pending in the Constitutional Court. Rama, for his part, mocked those claims in his podcast, saying that “anyone who calls the decree unconstitutional doesn’t know the country’s basic law,” noting with irony that one of the president’s legal advisers — a former justice minister under Berisha — had helped write it.

What else: While the Democrats dither, Socialists are far ahead in preparations. They officially nominated Ogerta Manastirliu for Tirana in early September, bypassing the pending legal case against Veliaj. A long-time ally of Rama, Manastirliu served as Minister of Health and Education, and previously worked with Rama when he was mayor. Rama admitted he did not personally propose her candidacy but relied on internal polling, which showed her as the clear frontrunner within the Socialist ranks.