Yesterday's meeting of the Presidency of the Democratic Party, reconfirmed once again that the waters in this party are not calm. The debates without media with accusations and counter-accusations focused on the issue of the Ombudsman. The attention was on the debate of Sali Berisha and Ervin Salianj, who has broken the calm with the meetings he is holding with the Democrats.
Berisha's earlier warnings that measures will be taken against Democrats who did not campaign in the May 11 elections also seem to include Hysen Kadiu, the most voted candidate in the Tirana primaries and who is now supporting Salianji's movement.
According to Berisha, his departure during the campaign was revenge for not being included in the safe list for MPs. This statement was opposed by Salianji, who said that Kadiu had been active in the campaign in support of the DP.
Sali Berisha: Hysen Kadiu has gone to campaign in America. I promised him that he would be on the safe list, but I couldn't keep it, but he left, he told me.
Salianji: He was in the campaign and there are photos of him in the areas and calling for a campaign to vote for the DP.
Berisha: He's lying, he didn't work.
Salianji: And thanks to him, we are 2800 votes ahead. Take the word "lie".
Berisha: No, he wasn't.
Salianji: I respect you as a party leader, but take the word "lie" back or leave the meeting.
Berisha: He sent me an SMS himself.
Salianji: I thought that today we should only talk about the Rama-Balluku scandal. Today, with this, you are shifting the attention. The problem is the concern that the Democrats have and not the government's thefts. I came to put the government on trial, but if you want to go for the Democrats, let's do it. You will have me with a key in my hand to denounce anyone who collaborates with the government.
The fiercest clash was between Ervin Salianj and Flamur Noka. The DP Secretary General accused the former Democratic MP of engaging Suel Çela's group to prevent citizens from participating in Berisha's speech.
"In Elbasan, people say that Suel Çela is working to prevent people from reaching the pulpit, and this is your influence," he addressed Salianj.
Salianji, for his part, responded by saying that the statements are idiotic and that four years ago Noka was accused of collecting signatures from sections under Suel's threat.
"I haven't scheduled the meeting yet, but since I've been thinking until now that I don't want division and I don't want to talk, I'm telling you that you have to be careful, because you were accused 4 years ago of collecting signatures for sections under the threat of Suel. Then, as for who knows, you know that I'll bring you facts if you continue with this idiocy," said the former DP MP.
Another point that caused a clash was the election of the People's Advocate. Sali Berisha demanded that the MPs who signed the petition publicly apologize, while Noka and Salianji clashed over responsibilities in the party structures.
The former DP MP demanded Noka's resignation, accusing him of destroying the party's structures.
"The People's Advocate was a strategic mistake. The DP should have gone with one candidate. We sent Ledio Braho as the only candidate 4 years ago and Rama overthrew him. You can't tell the MPs to sign whoever you want and then say why Rama threw it at us. It seems like a bargain to the people and you, Flamur, since you are being treated like a god, should resign for destroying the structure, organization and perception that you have sold out to Rama," said Salianji.
At the end of the meeting, it seemed that the media interest had been won by Salianji, who also broke Berisha's tradition of speaking to journalists after every meeting. Last night, the media gathered to ask Salianji what had happened at the Presidency meeting, not giving the DP leader the opportunity to have the last word.
