Socialist leader Edi Rama defends candidate lists: “With closed lists, we open up the party!”
One day after submitting the Socialist Party’s (SP) candidate lists to the Central Election Commission (KQZ), Prime Minister Edi Rama publicly explained the methodology and philosophy behind the selection of his team for the May 11 elections.
Why is this important: Rama argued that his approach—closed lists for candidates but an open party structure—ensures PS remains dynamic and prevents stagnation. He dismissed criticism, insisting that those left in the open lists must fight for their mandates. At the same time, he harshly attacks his opponents, portraying their candidate lists as a display of political stagnation. With the DP opposition is such a weak state, Rama can afford to open up the party against internal dissension. Indeed, despite causing some confusion and dissatisfaction, the inclusion of so many new figures that are running under the SP banner, is giving SP’s image a boost by reenforcing its contrast to Berisha’s DP.
Context: Rama defended the exclusion of some veteran Socialists from the closed lists, praising those who accepted their placement in the open lists without protest. According to him, political careers require knowing when to take and when to give.
“Open lists and a closed party, closed lists and an open party—these were the strategic guidelines of this process.”
He insisted that PS must remain open and evolving, unlike its opponents, whom he described as a “swamp.”
“To all my own: like it or not, the party will open up because the SP of 2030 cannot be a swamp. Stagnant water turns into a swamp. It’s that simple.”
What else: Rama focused much of his speech on ridiculing the opposition’s closed list in Tirana, describing it as the ultimate example of what Albanians should reject on May 11.
“If you want to see who the VIPs of the swamp are, look at the closed-list team in the capital of “majestic Albania.” They’ve told you: ‘mangi questa minestra,’ … you know what that means—eat this soup – because you have no other choice, no other way out. Eat it, look at them, take them in, one by one. One by one, all of them, the VIP section of the swamp. Like it or not, they’re going to Parliament. You have no say in it.
When asked why Socialist veterans Fatmir Xhafaj and Erion Braçe were left in the open lists—despite being entrusted with leading two key parliamentary committees—Rama justified the decision by saying that experienced politicians should fight for their mandates.
“With our system, we preferred to place in the closed lists those who otherwise would not have made it to Parliament, while putting in the open list those who have experience, connections, and party support to secure votes on their own. It’s quite simple.”
Recruiting from the opposition: Rama emphasized that his party is not limited to left-wing candidates. He pointed out that several figures in the Socialist lists previously belonged to the Democratic Party, arguing that this election is about voting beyond ideological lines.
He highlighted Alban Zeneli, a former Democratic MP now running under the SP banner in Kukës.
“Alban Zeneli has been a Democratic Party MP. He’d still be there, except he doesn’t want the swamp’s VIP club and their circus acts. So, he has space here. Welcome!”
Rama also mentioned a former opposition protester who had joined PS:
“In Tirana, we have the dean of the Faculty of Economics from Vlora. She was part of the protest camp, a lecturer who was down here demanding pay raises. And today? She’s in the closed list.
By incorporating former opposition figures, Rama is positioning PS as a party that attracts professionals beyond political affiliations, reinforcing his broader campaign narrative for these elections.
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