Berisha’s fading narrative: Protests shift from home to SPAK

On Monday morning, Sali Berisha plans to relocate his protesters from beneath his apartment—where they once rallied during his house arrest—to the front of the SPAK offices. For nearly a year, the small group of twenty loyal supporters gathering under his window had been his only political backing. He would address them, boast about their support, and use their presence to intimidate his rivals within the Democratic Party.

Now, the protests must resume—not daily, but twice a month—coinciding with Berisha’s scheduled reports to authorities. The protesters will continue to echo Berisha’s accusations against Special Prosecutor Altin Dumani.

While the rallies under his apartment made him seem like a comical “inmate,” those in front of SPAK now frame him as a comical “defendant.”

The requirement for Berisha to report twice a month stems from a Constitutional Court ruling that upheld SPAK’s decision to impose this measure without needing parliamentary approval. Berisha’s real grievance isn’t reporting to SPAK but the fact that the ruling dismantles the narrative he had used to inspire his followers—the claim that he was a “political prisoner.”

By moving the protests to SPAK’s offices, Berisha is making a desperate attempt to save face. But in doing so, he is effectively surrendering to the court’s authority, having accepted the ruling. This move also undermines the sacrifices of those who previously rallied under his apartment, exposing the battle as little more than a fabrication orchestrated by him.

It would have been more consistent for Berisha to reject the court’s decision. Instead, by accepting it, he leaves his supporters with no real cause. When they protested during his house arrest, they believed they were fighting an unjust sentence. Now, they are simply protesting his surrender to justice.

The article initially appeared in Albanian titled: "Nga 'Rrugica e Shpresës', te Rrugica e SPAK"