Sali Berisha denies accusations of a secret pact with Socialists after agreement on Electoral Code reforms
The recent agreement between the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party on amendments to the electoral code has sparked suspicions and allegations of a covert deal between the two major parties. Sali Berisha, leader of the Democratic Party, has firmly denied any secret agreement with Edi Rama regarding electoral reforms.
Why is this relevant
With the general elections less than 1 year away, it is important that the leader of the opposition has publicly supported the amendments and their legitimacy.
What he said
In a statement aimed at clarifying the situation for his supporters, Berisha emphasized that the electoral code changes obligatory as they stemmed from two decisions made by the Constitutional Court. The opposition leader, who has been under house arrest for the past seven months on corruption charges, reminded his supporters that only the decisions of the Constitutional Court were addressed and that the parties failed to enact an electoral reform that would incorporate the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR.
Berisha detailed the process followed by representatives of both sides in negotiating the changes, which ultimately led to the approval of the document in parliament. Despite this, he remains convinced that a comprehensive electoral reform is essential for political rotation and electoral standards. He believes that the reform should address the OSCE/ODIHR’s recommendations concerning vote-buying and the re-establishment of pre-election coalitions as envisioned by the Constitution before the 2020 amendments.
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