Despite the fact the Albanian politicians live in a Mediterranean territory with a lot of sun and days are long in May, they always prefer to take the “big decisions” at night. It was like that on May 18^th 2017, while the 19^th was dawning.  Edi Rama and Lulzim Basha locked themselves for hours in the parliament offices of Ilir Meta, who took part in this agreement that will leave a strong sign in the Albanian long transition only with his car and chauffeur going around in the courtyard.

The momentous and the long-term structure of this pact made in the conditions of Omerta is known now, catching the majority of the public opinion in surprise. At the same time, it’s still early to say what the agreement will produce after June 25^th, but today we may analyze the Edi Rama’s, Lulzim Basha’s and Ilir Meta’s positions for the moment.

Ilir Meta’s LSI was wildly left out of this major political event, but just because of this its new position now is only its “internal affair”. If till May 18 afternoon Meta was resting on laurels, today he finds himself in a bushy road, out of the highway Rama and Basha inaugurated.

Edi Rama

He’s appearing calm and relaxed. He managed to save his chair, made the opposition enter the elections, told the international partners he’s just like them, tolerant and a statesman, made Meta lower his head and not only that… Now he’s trying to save the bluff, the three-month investment that aimed to introduce him as an only winner, who brought the dreamed justice to the people. The card of vetting was burnt, but he does not lack courage and shamelessness to introduce himself as the garden guard even when caught red-handed.

His plan to divide and annihilate the Democratic Party failed, but still has the chance to fulfill his dream of eliminating LSI and proclaim it as the big reason of all the failures. After all that happened in the three months of the Tent and the Iago’s role played by Meta, Lulzim Basha is in his right to sit and watch how Rama will fulfill his operation of crumbling and later absorbing the LSI membership into the Renaissance.

Now that the agreement is a fait accompli, Edi Rama is in a hurry to introduce a reality as if he’s entering the elections without his own government. Truth is this is only a mirage. It’s a trick and Lulzim Basha knows it. The technical ministers of the opposition may serve only as scarecrows to scare away the birds. That’s their only power for the coming elections; “fear guards the vineyard”. However, it will have a historical value if the most powerful politicians in the country will both respect those points of the agreement that are planting the seed of the so-called New Republic. This all-inclusive government may be used as a model of the one that will implement the Judiciary Reform, the new Constitution and open the negotiations for the EU membership.

But let’s return to the current situation.

For over a year now, Edi Rama has started the electoral campaign, exploiting masterfully the card he knows to use best: the populism. He has already finished the job with the legalizations, amnesties for taxes, installments for the former prosecuted people, compensation of former owners. The time till June 25^th is the time to harvest.

By the other hand, despite the agreement, cannabis cannot become hemp. The people who organized and profited from the giant operation of cannabization last year may be a little disappointed and scared, but they’re still among us, together with the billions they gained. Their debt and obligation to Rama for the electoral campaign remains the same. Also, the concessionaries, oligarch and media owners who profited with building land, kiosks and whatever else, have not melted after May 19^th. They will be more sophisticated in their attitude towards Basha during the campaign month, but their master will be the same.

Edi Rama, from a cruel-hearted man, who until a few days ago, for “the sake of Vetting” asked openly the elimination of the Democratic Party and the foundation of a new opposition, now presents himself as a Santa Claus that delivers gifts of power for the Tent.

Exploiting the geopolitical developments in the region (the United States responded to Russia with a single strike in the Balkans, by solving crisis in Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania within 24 hours) and the obligatory situation where Basha found himself under the international pressure, Rama has escaped for the moment from his direct responsibility for the drugs and corruption where the country has plunged in. Still it can be said he showed to be first class player. If it’s true he will continue this scheme of governing after the elections too, in order to close the reforms and lead the country towards EU, then he’d fully deserve the Victor Hugo’s expression at “Ninety-three”, which, more or less, is:

“You’ll be decorated with the highest order because you saved the ship. You’ll be shot because you risked drowning the ship”.

Lulzim Basha

He too is calmer and more relaxed today. No doubt he is not only the winner of the most unequal and unprecedented 90-day battle in the history of the Albanian pluralism, but he also is the founder of a new model in the atrophied Albanian politics. A configuration of idealism with pragmatism, of the decisions of the moment and marking the future; a configuration of determination and elasticity. Apart from some flies (Why don’t you take part in the elections? Why do you take part in the elections?) that will continue to bother him for a little more, Lulzim Basha has become an undisputable  protagonist for the country’s fate, even for decades to come. He will continue to hear also the growling of those who wanted the New Republic above the ruins of the old one. They too will calm down someday, when they understand that Basha’s strategy to put the “Old Republic”, now on its knees, at the service of the foundations of the new one, is the only way now in the 21^st century, even though expanded longer in time, for this country to have a Western-like fragrance.

If today everyone dreams to be in Basha’s shoes, only a few days ago the majority had their knives ready to slaughter him if Rama and the internationals would not withdraw in front of his “stubbornness”. As a matter of fact, in the last days, he remained only with a fistful of “tent-men” and a few mediatic voices. From the opponents to his supports seemed like a fait accompli the family Basha had booked their tickets and baggage was ready for their return to Amsterdam.

The same was said before July 21 last year, when no one wanted to be in his place. Today like then, in the big clash for the Judiciary Reform, Basha did not win a battle, but a wild, unequal war, with many battles simultaneously.

The first battle was personal and within the kind. After four years in the lead of the Democratic Party, the perception that he was “weak as a leader”, “undetermined” and someone who could not bring his battles to the end now has definitely fallen. 

to be continued...