The Democratic Party cannot help Sali Berisha anymore

The Democratic Party’s breakup is now a fact and it has happened because of Sali Berisha. The party is divided into two main camps, one against him and one on his side. The speculation that Berisha has the majority of the party on his side is a perception that was created during the partial local elections of March 6th and especially because the official Democratic Party has practically frozen its political activity in 2023.

The current debate in the party’s leadership forums regarding how they will enter the upcoming local elections does not aim to end the division within the party. The breakup has happened already and the two factions cannot come together anymore. The Democrats who are angry at Sali Berisha make a considerable majority. While they may not be more in numbers than Berisha’s fanatic supporters, they are still a considerable majority and will be the end for Berisha’s political career.

Meanwhile, the claim of certain Democrat leaders to show mercy to Berisha and not attack him during the local elections campaign is simply a lie. These leaders do not represent the silent majority that opposes Berisha. They represent only some confused politicians who cannot make up their minds on which side to stand.

The anti-Berishian electorate is represented only by those who have clearly asserted themselves against Sali Berisha and they are the only ones who can inspire change in the electorate. Meanwhile, politicians who lean on both sides, supporting Berisha as well as Alibeaj, are in search of a political shelter, but do not enjoy the support of their base of voters.

The base of voters is made up of those who strongly support Berisha and the ones who strongly oppose him. Those who do not support Berisha are clear about their political stance and would vote only for someone who rejects Berisha just as much as them.

Therefore, there is no internal debate in the Democratic Party that could help Sali Berisha. If the party manages to find 61 candidates who can assert themselves clearly against Berisha, then they may even win over the swinging voters. However, even if the Democratic Party fails to find such candidates, they still cannot help Berisha. If he is the only choice, than the voters who strongly reject him would rather stay at home and not vote at all. Hence, the Democratic Party cannot help Berisha under any circumstance.

Furthermore, even if they did, he would not be grateful to them. Even if Lulzim Basha were to openly vote for Sali Berisha, the latter would still blame him in case of losing the elections. In other words, despite the results of the May 14th elections, Berisha will blame his opponents in the Democratic Party. The issue is if they will feel proud of this, or if they will feel bad for Berisha’s losing.