Interior Minister: “Rama was voted by citizens, Blushi’s theories are not essential”

Top Channel’s journalist Muhamed Veliu held this interview weith Mr.Tahiri, and asked him about the goals they aim to reach in the March 19th Congress.

“The Socialist Party has entered a new phase of the political life and the relations of the elected officials with their citizen forums. There are new members not only to formally increase the party members, but to raise our capacity to communicate with citizens. The forums are turning into political debate arenas about what we have done with the government, and where we will take Albania from now until 2020. We believe that the best alternative of this government is made by better communicating with citizens. The SP needs to watch and hear the problems, and that’s how you can find a solution to them. This is a new method of perceiving the relation with citizens. Albania is undergoing a very important phase of development and integration. The government has undertaken a series of reforms that are giving immediate effect on the citizens. It is very important for the citizens and the Socialist Party forums to see this as a communication opportunity. We want to raise the communication with citizens to a new level, in order to bring more economic development to this country and especially to make it a more fair country”, Tahiri said.

TCH: Will there be propositions for changing the party status?

“The National Assembly has established two working groups, one of which reviews the statutory norms. SP has a tradition of democratic rules and every SP member has our political constitution as reference, the statute of the SP, which is not static. It can be developed and this is a normal phenomenon throughout the world. Those with more contribution and experience make the status adopt better to the political co-existence within the SP, and the relations that we need to have with citizens. Certainly, there will be changes in the statute to make the SP more Democratic, make co-existence the most important foundation, and raise the communication capacity with citizens”, Tahiri said.

One day after Ben Blushi left open the possibility of running for the leadership of his party, Saimir Tahiri said that all forums of the Socialist Party should be included in elections. But, he said, things are different when the leader is a Prime Minister and when he has won two consequent elections in national and local level.

“This depends on the proposition that he will make to the working group. None of us is indifferent and it is not a big deal if we change the way how the Socialist Party leader is elected. I don’t even see it as a case for debate. It is an unnecessary debate for the way how we should communicate with the citizens of this country, and I don’t think it makes any difference on how to increase the economic improvement, how to accelerate Albania’s EU integration path, how to make our country safer, how to get citizens involved in our country’s development, or find a solution to the employment of youth”, Tahiri underlined.

For Tahiri, the debates created by Ben Blushi, the rebel MP of the SP, are outside the political reality since the majority has won the elections of 2013 and of 2015.

Tahiri says that the “one member, one vote” election method used for the leader of the SP is very democratic, and when a party is in government, they should not discuss on who will be the leader, but how will they have citizens’ trust. As long as the leader has the citizens’ trust, there is no reason for his reconfirmation within the party. This debate would be open if the Prime Minister would lose the elections.

When asked if there will be a voting for the SP leader in 2016, since the last “one member, one vote” method was held in December 2012, Tahiri said that this is just a technical issue.

“This matter belongs to the working group that is taking care of the statute changes. There will be a procedure for the reconfirmation or not of the mandate for the SP leader. But this is not an important matter as regards the cooperation with the public and for how to make Albania a better place, as long as the citizens vote the party and the government. We need to focus now on how to communicate with citizens, and be concerned about the leader when we lose elections”, Tahiri added.

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