While the opposition remains at a crossroads a month before the elections, having not yet found a candidate, several non-political names have volunteered to run with its support. So far, the names that have expressed interest in running with the opposition's support are Ermal Hasimja, Florian Haçkaj and Agron Haxhimali.
The main problem seems to be with the largest opposition force, the Democratic Party, which not only does not have a candidate, but also does not agree with the proposals of other opposition parties. The latter propose non-political names as the main condition for coming up with an alternative for the November 9 elections.
So far, the list of candidates who have expressed their desire to run includes the lecturer and political analyst Ermal Hasimja. He has built a solid profile as a critical and argumentative voice in public discourse, being active in both the media and the academic world. In his career, Hasimja was part of the Policy Orientation Committee (KOP) during the 2005 campaign, which brought the Democratic Party to power.
Another name is Florian Haçkaj, known to the public through the "Diaspora for a Free Albania" movement. He is one of the founders of this movement, which was also active in the May 11 elections, where the diaspora vote was implemented for the first time. Haçkaj has managerial experience in airlines, luxury freight transport and cybersecurity, leading sales teams.
Pedagogue Agron Haxhimali is the next name to express interest in running, if he receives the support of the opposition. He comes from the world of civil society and is the director of the Institute for Albanian Municipalities. Haxhimali is the author of studies on local government and decentralization reforms.
Independent candidates are also expected to join the race for the capital, such as actor and comedian Florian Binaj. He announced his candidacy through a Facebook status, seeking the votes of the citizens of Tirana without the support of any political party. Binaj is an actor and moderator known to the Albanian public. He got involved in politics when the "Albania Becomes" Movement was founded together with Lapaj and Çepan, but he left it very early.
The other name being discussed is lawyer and activist Edlira Çepani, who has not yet confirmed whether she wants to be a candidate. She was part of the "Albania Becomes" party in the beginnings of this political force, but broke away after a short time. Some sources say that she is the most accepted candidate from the DP, while she also has the support of the movement she founded with Adriatik Lapaj.
So far, the only political force that has confirmed its candidate is the Socialist Party, with former Minister of Health and Education, Ogerta Manastirliu.
Also, the most prominent opposition force is the "Together Movement", which refuses to cooperate with other opposition parties and is the only one to have announced a candidate. Its leader, Arlind Qori, will seek the votes of the capital's residents for the second time.
