Senior opposition figure attacks party leadership

Former opposition lawmaker Ervin Salianji has openly criticised the current leadership of Albania’s Democratic Party (DP), saying the party cannot win elections with what he called “serial losers”.

Speaking at a meeting with local DP structures in the central city of Elbasan, Salianji said democracy requires leaders who fail repeatedly to step aside.

“You cannot win with serial losers. Victory comes from people who represent values. Those who lose must take a step back. That is a basic democratic principle,” he said.

Salianji said the party leadership should be focusing on mobilisation, door-to-door campaigning and preparing for a planned Dec. 22 protest, rather than questioning why party members meet with each other.

He criticised senior party figures for demanding loyalty without accountability, arguing that grassroots members have spent more than a decade in opposition while leaders kept their positions.

Salianji said his meetings are not about personal ambition or seeking office, but about rebuilding internal democracy and restoring the party’s connection with its base.

He also warned that Albanian politics has become dominated by personal interests, saying leaders “cling to power” at the expense of democratic norms — an implicit criticism of long-time party leader Sali Berisha.