Edi Rama is one of those politicians that has shown again and againthat he wants to be “absolute prime” wherever he governs. He expressed this clearly during the 12 years of leading the Municipality of Tirana and you can see it in his eyes that if he could, he would do it as a Prime Minister also.

Since 2005 at the eel lunch, Rama has been convinced that the only way for him to succeed with the Rilindja (Renaissance) Project, was that the Socialist Party would govern alone with some “appendixes” of small leftist parties that in years have degraded to hole fillers in the national electoral panorama.

The hurry to sign in total obscurity with Sali Berisha the deal of the constitutional changes in 2008, was also in function of this project. The idea of Rama was that this intervention would help create in Albania a two-pole party system. Thus, regardless of the close result in elections, either party would govern alone and unobstructed, bringing about an endless eight year cycle of rotation. The right wing, always compact, was never concerned of this kind of problems. Rama on the other hand was ready to come to his knees in front of Berisha only to take out the Socialist Movement for Integration LSI. Because of this they settle for an entry threshold that would eliminate the small parties and on the other hand through the regional proportional system would empower the head of the party by turning him into the sole decision maker for the lists of MP candidacies. Berisha, as the historic founder of the DP, was ok with this because inside the party his word was never defied when it came to writing the lists.

Rama, being conscious that he became head of the SP in a congress that voted in majority against his program in the first day and in the second he got the dreamed of  position only after the “defiance” of Ilir Meta against the Mejdani-Majko group, wanted this changes at any cost. Berisha, finding himself in a post-Gërdec tight spot, and in front of the promise of Rama that he would not obstruct the process of reforms and the advancement of the EU integration, gave him the changes without a doubt.

In the 2009 elections there was an electoral “incident”. The LSI won 4 seats that actually were good only to Berisha because Rama had shrinked the SP votes even more than in 2005. Meta, sick and tired financially of a “sandwich” style opposition did not think it twice to join Berisha in a coalition. He cannot be blamed for this giving that otherwise his party would evaporate. He chose between a minority that joined him unconditionally 5 years ago, and a majority that went to him with their “spoons ready”. The later, accustomed since his days as a Prime Minister, that political engagement would always translate into power and welfare, won.

Rama cursed and swore that he would destroy Meta; he called him a traitor of the left wing, but this was not Meta’s fault, because when to Meta and Berisha the 4 seats were golden ones, to Rama those were spurious and wouldn’t in any case fulfill his Prime Ministerial dream.

We should not forget also what Rama did after his reelection as the Mayor in 2007, with the votes from LSI. He had tempted Meta with an agreement in the spring of 2006 according to which they would share local power and on this basis they would also work together in 20089.

What happened in between? Rama, after making himself at home as Maypr of Tirana, disavowed himself from the agreement by ignoring Meta in their confidential relations and by making it impossible for him to do an existential action: employ his followers in the public administration. This was yet another reason for the “Angry Skraparlli” as Rama nicknames him often, do jump on Berisha’s lap without hesitation.

Many years later, now that the 4 year pact of the eel is coming to an end, Meta doesn’t feel any regret on his cooperation with Berisha and reconfirms this every time he is asked about.

“In politics 2+2 may equal 4 as in mathematics but it may equal 6 sometimes and 1 some other times because politics is much more complex” he declared recently in an interview to Ora News. He actually doesn’t need to regret anything cause the 4 years in power with Berisha helped him grow and enrich so mush the LSI that today he finds himself in the best position that we all know; the holder of the auction gavel between Rama and Basha for the next elections.

If we go back to the Shkodra deal, Rama did not have any program if he would come to power. Even when the media hold him tight, he would only show a purple cover but nothing what it would have had inside. The pages were blank because he had his own governing program; and one could have found it in his book “Kurban”. In this book where Rama depicted the corner stones of the transformation of Albania through his “Rilindja Project” Meta was not only absent as a co-ruler but on the contrary, he was defined as the evil of those times present and of the future projected by Rama; even e danger bigger to the country than Berisha as head of the DP.

Listening to those who gave him realistic advice, that he could not win without Meta, Rama hided temporarily the Kurban-Program and signed the famous agreement which although curses every day, asks for it again with persistence.

We made all this review in order to get back to what happened with Renzi and to put forward the question: Why does Rama not have the manhood to do a same style referendum giving that he recognizes that his governance and the public issues of the country would be better off without Meta in the frame.

The referendum initiated by the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi aimed to change the constitution and end a 40 year old problematic tradition where to the first party in elections it is impossible to govern without a second, third and other party.

After the popular vote, Renzi got only 41% of the votes to the 59% that objected him. Even though he could continue staying in power, he renounced only 1 hour after the results came in.

Giving that Rama is “dying” to govern all by himself and giving that his Rilindja has made acrobatic changes during this 4 years. Why doesn’t he also try a referendum alla Renzi in Albania?

In an hypothetical situation: in one trench we would have Rama and the party of Mark Frroku who is in jail; Paskal Milo, Petro Koçi not 100% for sure, and Shpëtim Idrizi. In the other one: Basha with Meta, Duka, Blushi, Dule, Bojaxhiu, Ndoka and Mediu etc..

A simple majority of votes would be enough for Rama so that he could accomplish his dream, Yet he lacks of this manhood for several reasons.

First of all, on the contrary of what Rama claims, since he came to lead the SP, the votes have shrunk. In the 2013 elections even after a consummation of power from Berisha, and regardless of the broadest leftist coalition, the reborn party of Rama only received 41.33% of the votes, or 65 MPs which today are even less. How much did Renzi receive in his referendum, precisely 41%.

The comparison is made to the 2013wlwctions when the expectations from him and his Rilindja were extraordinary. Because the citizens besides being tired of the Berisha government with Meta inside, at the end of the mandate had turned in to a mammoth that couldn’t be controlled anymore, created a plebiscite also thanks to the electoral “duty free“ promises.

Today we are facing a situation of ultimate delusion, even depressing. The only way out Rama is seeing is to bargain again with Meta and to “cry baby” again in front of the people as he did this Sunday praying for them to believe him. Believe that he is unsatisfied with his cabinet, but give him another chance because he reflected!

In the end of the day the main reason why Rama cannot burden a move like Renzi’s, is that he himself is now aware of the arrogance, foolishness, cynicism, and the kneel in front of the billionaires and the organized crime while he makes a fool out of the rest of the population who will not allow it to happen anymore.

Rama has a great chance to reign solely in the future: let himself go forward to a referendum just like Renzi. Renzi put his aims and project to change Italy to a popular referendum: he lost and left. Rama wants to continue his dream of Rilindja only with the backdoors and bargains with Meta on one hand and the alliance with narcotraffic, oligarchs an public money on the other.

Yet he himself knows better that he cannot take a chance. Because with Renzi he maybe shares the passion for selfies but they are divided by much and more major and essential things: especially lack of manhood!

SYRI.net