Since the Socialist Party National Assembly, held on September 11, Prime Minister Edi Rama has signaled profound changes in the Tirana municipality. At this meeting, he also officially announced the new candidate for the leadership of the capital: Minister Ogerta Manastirliu.
The first concrete move by the Socialist Party came yesterday, when the Socialist councilors of the Municipality of Tirana gathered at the pink headquarters to discuss Rama's order to dismiss Erion Veliaj. They decided that at the next meeting of the Municipal Council, which will take place on Tuesday, September 23, they will officially present the request for the dismissal of the current mayor and the initiation of procedures for extraordinary elections.
But what is most striking is the profound silence of Erion Veliaj. A political figure known for his constant presence on social networks, even during the period when he was in prison, today has not said a single word about developments directly related to him and his political future.
A simple visit to his Facebook page shows recent posts ranging from criticism of the prosecutor investigating his case, to messages for citizens and students who have started the new school year, to the achievements of the municipality during his leadership. But no reaction on the political movements that are ending his mandate, neither to oppose nor to accept Rama's decision and the request of the municipal councilors.
So far, only Veliaj's lawyers have spoken on his behalf, arguing in the media why his dismissal is legally unfounded. However, there has been no official position from either of them, and Veliaj has not reposted it on social media, as he has done with previous reactions.
This situation raises several questions: will this moment be the turning point in the Rama-Veliaj relationship? Will the mayor choose to publicly confront his mayor, or will he remain silent, like many of the prime minister's former associates, obediently accepting the decisions coming from above?
Veliaj once fanatically defended his relationship with the prime minister, to the point of saying that political opponents were praying for this to happen, but there was zero chance of it happening. As a reminder, we are bringing a statement of his:
"People who have actually held power. I don't know how many calluses they have to have on their knees to pray that one day the Prime Minister and I will not go well. This has zero chance of happening. To all those who pray that we will have a major conflict, and all of a sudden let those who tore Tirana apart to manage the country, I want to say this. Whoever wishes and whoever thinks that in this effort that we have, we will have conflicts, divisions, and anger, the probability is zero at all," the mayor said.
But now, when Rama himself has decided to hand over the management of Tirana to Ogerta Manastirliu, the question that remains pending is, what does Veliaj think? Citizens are waiting for an answer. Even if it is with a status on Facebook, as he has always done.
