Democratic Party MP Besart Xhaferri, who was on the closed list of Tirana in the May 11 elections, has made a statement that is seen as the first signal of new movements within the party. In an interview for the Dekalog show on Dritare TV, Xhaferri recalled that the mandate of the DP leader, Sali Berisha, ends in April 2026 and that new elections within the party should be held during that period.
“According to the statute, Mr. Berisha’s mandate ends in April 2026. There should also be elections within the DP in April 2026. If Berisha has not repeated the elections, he should leave,” declared the Democratic MP. He added that if Berisha does not keep his promise to repeat the May 11 elections, which the opposition claims were manipulated by the Socialist Party, then it is right for him to leave the party leadership.
However, Xhaferri stressed that he will continue to stay in the DP and contribute within it, without getting involved in internal clashes. "If Berisha does not leave, I will continue my mission within the DP, but I will not fight within the party. This, since the confrontation within the party has a kind of hierarchy, is not my turn," he said.
Besart Xhaferri is known as one of Belind Këlliçi's close associates. The latter, although he was once presented as the political leader of Tirana for the elections in the capital's municipality, seems to have been displaced by the DP's leadership structures. Sources within the party indicate that his place has been taken by Ilir Alimehmeti, who is now seen as a key figure in Tirana. Even at today's meeting of candidate Florian Binaj, Këlliçi was absent, while Alimehmeti was present in his place.
Today's reaction by Besart Xhaferri, which was also distributed by Rilindja Demokratike — the official organ of the Democratic Party — is seen by many as the first sign of a possible "rebellion" within the ranks of the DP.
