Two different groups within the PD have called for the full resignation of PD leader Lulzim Basha after the election loss of June 25. Basha had announced that he would only “freeze” his function as chairman of the party to allow for the organization of leadership elections in July.
Remarkably, the three PD members who were openly against Lulzim Basha during the elections, Jozefina Topalli, Eduard Selami, and Arben Imami are not parties of the signatories of either declaration.
Earlier, Selami announced his own bid for the leadership of the party.
National Council members
The first declaration is from 19 members of the National Council and the Board of the PD and other high officials.
The deep loss of the PD in these elections obliges us to take up our responsibilities. PD chairman Lulzim Basha is the main person responsible for this loss. Moreover, the Chairman of the Party has personally taken up, in violation of the statutory regulations, the drafting of the deputy list and electoral program, by violently removing the symbols of the PD and planting the undeserved division under the label “this is the old republic up to the 22-year-olds of the [PD youth wing] FRPD.”
Disgruntled deputies
The second declaration, signed by nearly 100 (former) deputies who remained outside the candidate list, also demands the “immediate and irrevocable resignation” of Lulzim Basha, for the following reasons:
- The catastrophic results of the PD in these elections
- The further weakening of the competitive electoral and organizational capacities of the PD
- Serious violations of the statutes for four years
- Threatening our identity as Democrats by the systematic and intentional attacks on the symbols of the PD
- The continuous neglect of the decision making forums of the PD
- The lack of a close, clear, and hopeful perspective for the Democrats.
