The struggle to rise again

Sali Berisha is trying to keep his loyalists hopeful. He wants them to believe that real change inside the Democratic Party does not require him to leave, only some of the people around him.

By spreading the idea that the party will be “renewed” this time, he hopes to raise expectations among those still waiting for a better position in the DP, or simply for a sign that they still matter.

But this is not renewal. It is the DP trying to get back on its feet.

Renewal would mean replacing an old, worn-out leader with a new one willing to challenge him. Only then could anyone speak seriously of new energy inside the Democratic Party.

What is happening now is something else. It is like watching an old, exhausted man with a cane fall to the ground and spend a long time trying to stand up. Eventually, a few younger men come along, take him by the hand and lift him.

But once he is standing again, he does not walk any faster. He just carries on as before.

That is exactly what is happening to the Democratic Party.

Its ageing leader has fallen several times over the past 36 years, sometimes dragging Albania down with him, as he did in 1997. Each time, after a long struggle to rise again, there have always been people willing to help him back up.

But once he is back on his feet, he never does anything new. He simply returns to his old habits.

The decisive blow came from the United States and the United Kingdom, which declared him non grata for undermining democracy, major family corruption and links to organised crime.

Since then, he has spent five years trying to get back up. Now he hopes to stand again by holding on to Flamur Noka’s belt and Albana Vokshi’s dress.

That may help him get back on his feet.

But it does not renew him.

It does not make him younger, stronger or more credible.

It only turns him into a walking corpse, careful not to fall again and have to start the same struggle all over again.

Not to win.

Only to survive.

Originally published in Albanian as: Ripërpëlitja