Ex-president slams Albania’s opposition over election stance

Former Albanian President Bamir Topi has criticized the post-election strategy of the country’s main opposition party, accusing it of political inconsistency and calling its actions a “premeditated political crime.”

Speaking on MCN TV, Topi condemned the Democratic Party (PD) for planning to enter parliament in September despite rejecting the May 11 local elections as fraudulent.

“If they return to parliament while still contesting the elections, that’s a contradiction—they’re going nowhere with that,” Topi said. He added he would support the party publicly—but not as a member—if it apologized for the “backroom deal” struck in 2008 that reformed Albania’s electoral code.

“People can reflect,” he said. “But they know exactly what they did. This was political fraud, done deliberately and with intent.”