“Internationals betrayed us in 2009”

After eight years of harsh confrontations, is there any retaliation feeling? This is the first question made to Rama, who expressed his regret for the stance of the internationals after the elections of 2009.

“The most difficult thing is to lose when your adversary has manipulated votes”, Rama starts the answer that continues with this declaration.

“In 2009, the international community betrayed us by accepting false results. During the local elections in Tirana, on May 2011, it was even worse. A really Kafkaesque situation”, Rama declared.

Rama says that OSCE published a report saying that one third of the votes was falsified, but on the other hand they said that there had been no manipulations. I had to accept the loss for 10 votes.

Rama was asked if polarization in politics is still existent in Albania between the Socialist Party and Democratic Party, and if there is any kind of strategy: “From Berisha. For a long time I refused any confrontation with him. They said I was too Scandinavian for Albania. But in 2009, after rigged elections, we entered a monumental fight, a polarization of extreme violence. For two years it was terrible. In January 2011 protesters were killed on the street. This is when the international community started to realize there was something wrong with Berisha. However, a few months later OSCE made an incredible report on the municipal elections”.

The interview continues with the question if this victory was a way to save Rama’s political future.

“I don’t do politics to save myself. Certainly, there is always a personal aspect. Politics is a way go be affirmed, isn’t it? I did not become Edi Rama through politics. I was Edi Rama even before”, Rama underlined.

Top Channel