The two-day meeting of the Socialist Party leaders in Pogradec seems not to have brought peace within the pink camp, especially regarding the race for the Municipality of Tirana in the local elections of spring 2027. While Ogerta Manastirliu stood next to Prime Minister Edi Rama in Pogradec, confirmed by him as a candidate for the capital, the absence of the well-known socialist MP Erion Braçe was accompanied by his public reaction on social networks.
Through a direct message from the Kombinat, Braçe has issued accusations against the way decisions are being made within the party, demanding open competition and directly challenging the unilateral nomination of candidates.
"The notice is not valid, it is old!"
Braçe emphasized that the SP membership and the citizens of Tirana do not require appointments placed in closed offices, but real involvement in decision-making:
"I don't believe that the socialists want an announcement, but they want to decide. I don't believe that the socialists want to vote on an announcement, but they want to elect their candidate for the Municipality of Tirana!"
"I don't expect an announcement on the wall or on the air, the announcement is not valid, it's old; the crisis we are experiencing has at its core the way we decide and the announcement, generally exclusive, is no longer an element of decision-making."
Although party leaders have begun to give signals or confirmations to certain names, Brace announced that he has begun his work on the ground without waiting for any "green light" from the leadership, confirming his firm ambition to enter the race:
"I am also one of them and I didn't wait for someone to tell me 'it will be you, work now'; no, I felt the people in the streets and neighborhoods of Tirana... I am understanding the city and its needs alley by alley..."
"I'm waiting for the race and I'll go all the way, as always, to win this job, because it's a job!"
According to him, the socialist base and the citizens of the capital are demanding a change in the decision-making model, which is becoming "more and more narrow". With this direct reaction, Erion Braçe seeks to officially open an internal debate on democracy in the SP, making it clear that the race for Tirana cannot end with a showdown from Pogradec.
However, his repeated calls so far have fallen on deaf ears.
