Berisha: Rama should not avoid referendum

“If Mr.Rama doesn’t want a referendum, he can vote the laws. We are ready to vote at any time. I hope Mr.Rama will not interpret the declarations of Fule, Arvizu ad Sequi as an appeal to not vote the laws, but as an appeal to vote them, because what Rama is saying to Albanians is that our friends are contesting the recognition of the result”, Berisha declared.

The declaration of the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Fule, drove at the idea that he was against the referendum. This has spurred various reactions in Tirana, initially from the Democratic Party Chairman of the Commission of Laws, Ilir Rusmali. Rusmali declared that the referendum is a basic right through which the people can decide and it cannot be denied to them. But how do these answers endanger Albania’s relation with the EU Commission?

For Berisha, Brussels is not saying that the referendum will not be held, but that it goes against the blockage logic.

“They are not saying that we should not hold the referendum, but that it is being imposed by the blockage logic coming from one man. We have ceded several times, but we cannot cede things that go against the Constitution. We changed the Constitution once. If Rama is against this, let’s see what the Albanians want and you must rest assured that they will vote in favour of these laws in the referendum”, Berisha declared.

The Prime Minister insinuated that Rama is looking for an alibi before the next defeat. He promised that the government would be dedicated to guarantee free and honest elections, and accused the opposition leader of lobbying for the head of the international observers in June 23rd. But according to Berisha, even this will not save Rama.

“Rama is telling to socialists voters that they will not accept the result. We will do everything possible to achieve excellent elections and we will create the optimal conditions for this. Rama has already failed with his ideas to demonize the elections and lobbying. You know who was leading the OSCE/ODIHR observations in 2009 (Audrey Glover, Chairwoman of the OSCE-ODIHR in the elections of 1996 and 2009), a person who I have almost considered “Non Grata” for many reasons, and this didn’t help Rama neither”, Berisha declared.

To the question if the increased attention of the international factor on the Albanian elections shows their scepticism that the Albanian government will provide normal elections, Berisha answered:

“Monitoring is not mistrust, but a great evaluation for elections. We invite all international institutions, the European Council, the European Parliament and everything else to bring as more observers as possible, because this is on our country’s best interest. But the elections will be excellent”, Berisha declared.

Berisha was asked about the Police elite who were seen in a photo dining with the main suspect of the murder of a chief of police. Berisha declared that the photo was made in a time when the defendant had no priors. He attacked the opposition leader by saying that if it was for basing accusation on photos, Rama would be the head of “Hakmarrje per Drejtesi” group.

As regards the privatization of the four Hydropower Plants that the Parliament approved this Monday, in a time when the country is a few months before the parliamentary elections, Berisha declared that the HPP decision was taken in July and that the Albpetrol privatization was cancelled because it was six months before the elections.

Berisha promised that the government will pay the debts they owe to the business and that they will not increase the national debt.

“Here is why our economy didn’t see a crisis”

Referring to the accusations launched by the opposition that the Albanian economy is in crisis, Berisha quoted some international economic institutions that according to him prove that the economy not only has not faced a recession, but the economic growth was four times higher than the regional average.

“IMF says that Albania survived the crisis and congratulated the government for the reforms. IMF declared that the Albanian economy stayed outside the Eurozone crisis. The World Bank president for South-eastern Europe and Asia quoted the same thing. EBRD also says that Albania implemented the necessary reforms and the European Council 2012 Report says that Albania has preserved the macro-economic stability”, Berisha declared.

According to the government leader, these reports prove two things:

“First of all, the economy resisted to the crisis. The Albanian economy resisted to the crisis thanks to comprehensive economic reforms that we undertook before the crisis ecen started, and these reforms turned into a shield for our parts of the economy that are related with the crisis”, Berisha declared.

But what were these reforms that according to Berisha protected the Albanian economy? The first thing that the Prime Minister mentioned was the flat tax of 10%, the reduction of contributions for social insurances, the halving of business taxes and the growth of customs and tax incomes.

Berisha criticized the opposition’s program that aims to impose the progressive tax. He declared that it is a Marxist tax that incites fiscal evasion and creates hatred between social classes.

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