When the Socialist Party decided to stand as a barricade in defense of the immunity of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku in March of this year, Socialist MP Elisa Spiropali was among the few who stepped out of line.
Suddenly dismissed from the position of Foreign Minister in Rama's government cabinet, Spiropali missed the appeal in the parliamentary session to vote on the Balluk issue, which subsequently led to her separation from the party where she built her entire political career, holding high state positions as Speaker of the Parliament and minister.
At the last parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday, it was reported that Spiropali received a clear warning from Rama about being expelled from the ranks of the Socialist Party.
The cause of the clash was a post by Spiropali on her Facebook page, where she criticized without naming names the current governance model and the deformation at the heart of power, which, according to her, was turning the Socialist Party from a living party into "a fossil structure."
In a second post addressed to Rama, Spiropali further spoke about a government that had equated the state with the party and where critical voices were not allowed.
"The threat of expulsion from the group worries me less than the idea that the idea that a political group should function through fear could be normalized," Spiropali wrote, among other things, while adding that her criticisms called for 'the separation of the party from the state'.
Spiropali entered politics in 2009 and built her public profile as an ardent supporter of Edi Rama. Her criticism of the government has attracted attention in a political environment controlled by the party chairman and the uniform conviction of MPs.
Although seemingly motivated by personal resentment after leaving the post of Foreign Minister, Elisa Spiropali's criticisms, according to political analysts, touch on important issues regarding the politicization of the state and the lack of freedom of expression within the ruling party.
"You don't find anything political in these criticisms. In the sense that there is no structured political criticism based on a specific political idea, vision or strategy," Ervis Iliazaj, a lecturer in Political Science, told BIRN.
However, he emphasizes that "the criticisms that Spiropali is addressing are to be welcomed, as it is probably the first time since 2013 that an exponent of the Socialist Party has so openly criticized the way that party functions."
For journalist Lutfi Dervishi, Spiropali's criticisms should not be reduced "only to personal anger."
"Her criticisms touch on a real issue: the relationship between party, state, power and administration. So the question is not just: Why is Elisa speaking now? The more important question is: Are some of the things she says true?" he said.
Although the Socialist Party has structures, forums, parliamentary groups, congresses and meetings, real debate, according to Dervishi, is measured by one simple thing: "Can you publicly oppose without being considered a traitor?"
'Party-man'
At the other end of politics, in the Democratic Party controlled for 3 decades by Sali Berisha, former MP Ervin Salianji has been challenging the leadership for several months in the race for the presidency and over the way the opposition is led.
But Salianji has also been declared a traitor, while senior DP leaders consider him self-excluded.
There are similarities, but also major differences, between the situations in the two main parties. However, both cases expose the authoritarian direction of political parties in Albania.
According to Dervishi, figures within the major parties are seeking to build profiles critical of the leadership. But the difference lies in the position, as Spiropali comes from the heart of power, while Salianji comes from the opposition and builds his profile on the idea that the DP should have.
"So, Spiropali looks like a rebellion from within the government. Salianji looks like an attempt at reform from within the opposition. One challenges the ruling party, the other challenges the party that is failing to win," he emphasized.
Iljazaj sees a difference in the political goals of the challengers. According to him, Spiropali does not show ambitions to lead the Socialist Party, while Salijanj's movement, according to him, carries elements of a political movement with a specific and structured objective.
"Spiropali seems to be seeking power within Edi Rama's government and not to replace it, while on the other hand, Salianji has the most substantial and politically articulated criticisms," he said.
However, both political situations in the major parties point to the lack of internal democracy and personalization in the leadership of political parties.
"They are a party of people," says Iljazaj, adding that "the personalization of politics in Albania is at levels never before."
Dervishi also says that parties revolve around the 'leader' and that the lack of debate within them harms the country's democracy.
"When major parties do not produce democracy within themselves, they cannot produce serious democracy in the state. The parliament becomes a notary, the government becomes the mayor's office, the administration becomes an extension of the party, and the MP often turns into a button/buffoon with immunity," he stressed.
Dervishi believes that the reasons for this political behavior are related to several factors, including the political culture inherited from the dictatorship or the capture of the state by the party. On the other hand, the closed-list electoral system gives the president extraordinary power over the political careers of deputies and according to Dervishi, “when the mandate is given by the president, your word has no weight.”
“Here, parties are not afraid of the opponent, they are afraid of the party member who starts thinking out loud,” he emphasized.
For Iljazaj, political parties in Albania are more private enterprises than public institutions, a feature that undermines democracy as a whole.
"We have generally built a leadership model in Albania based on charisma, vision or personal decision-making. We trust the person more than structures," said Iljazaj.
"This has led to the exercise of power in an autocratic manner at all levels. For all these reasons, if there is no democracy within the parties, there can be no democracy in Albania," he concluded./BIRN
