Berisha denounces May 11 vote as a “farce” amid mounting pressure over defeat

Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha held a press conference today, branding the May 11 elections “the most shameful farce in the history of Albanian democracy.” But behind the accusations, Berisha is facing his own reckoning: the worst result in the party’s modern history, delivered under his direct leadership.
Why is this important: Berisha came to power by ousting Lulzim Basha — the very man he once helped install — on the argument that Basha’s 2021 defeat disqualified him from leading. Yet Berisha has now produced a far worse result. The contradiction and a series of miscalculations and mistakes in the run-up to the campaign, is now fueling internal criticism and raising questions about his grip on the party.
Context: Blame for the Democratic Party’s collapse is falling squarely on Berisha’s political strategy and list-building decisions. Despite Albania’s proportional system, Berisha failed to build a real opposition front. Instead, he reserved 8 secure spots on the electoral lists for allies — parties that collectively probably do not have enough support for even a single mandate. Those seats could have gone to popular Democratic Party candidates, many of whom had won the internal primaries but were excluded.
Meanwhile, Berisha packed the rest of the safe list with long-time loyalists, effectively turning the electoral list into a closed circle. More and more voices inside the party now view this as one of the key causes of the collapse.
What Berisha said: Berisha dismissed the entire May 11 vote as illegitimate, accusing the government of orchestrating a controlled electoral process.
“Today, free people cannot accept these elections,” he said. “Voters were monitored and pressured in every possible form.”
“This was the most shameful farce in the history of Albanian democracy,” he continued. “The May 11 vote violated the Copenhagen Criteria, the Constitution of Albania, and the Electoral Code. When these norms are broken, we’re not dealing with a genuine election — but with a controlled political masquerade.”
He accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of colluding with criminal networks and using political prosecutors to crush the opposition.
What else: Asked by journalists whether his smaller allies justified the 8 safe spots they were granted on the lists, Berisha dismissed the question entirely.
“Any attempt to treat these elections as fair is invalid. Every decision was made in the context of a pre-scripted farce.”
Despite the severity of the defeat, Berisha gave no indication he intends to resign.