The head of the Democratic Party parliamentary group, Gazment Bardhi, has publicly expressed his preference for Ilir Alimehmet as the opposition candidate for the Municipality of Tirana, leaving in the background the name of actor Florian Binaj, who was proposed as a consensual variant for the unification of the opposition in the capital.
In an interview with A2 CNN, Bardhi described Alimehmet as an excellent candidacy and a serious offer compared to the candidate that Prime Minister Edi Rama will propose.
"Mr. Alimehmeti would be an excellent opposition candidacy for Tirana. However, I do not want to announce the candidacy through the media, because, first, we need to give this dialogue and this broad consensus that I am talking about a chance, and second, we will need to give the bodies within the DP their own space to appoint the official candidates of the DP. But yes, Mr. Alimehmeti is a candidate who, in my opinion, would be a very serious, very good offer, compared to Rama's candidacy for the Municipality of Tirana", said Bardhi.
Florian Binaj was previously mentioned as an alternative for a consensual candidacy, which could unite the Democratic Party with other opposition forces in the race for Tirana.
But Bardhi's statement shows that within the DP there are preferences for other candidacies, despite discussions on finding a common name. However, Bardhi stressed that the final decision should be made by the party's governing bodies, after dialogue for a broader opposition consensus.
