The Albanian opposition MPs officially resigned from their mandates today. They submitted the resignations to the relevant parliamentary committee at the end of today’s protest.
Speaking to the crowd of thousands of protestors inn front of the Parliament, the leader of the opposition Lulzim Basha said:
“The honest people of this country want to give an end to the parliament of the crime, by the crime, for the crime, and we gave an end to it today. Following your [people’s] will and European-[standard] elections, we will have a government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Basha said that the opposition is asking for the implementation of the very same principles that constitute the European and US democracies. He also added:
“I believe in the European and US democracies, where incriminated politicians and criminals are brought to justice.
We are not a violent people, we are a people of freedom and democracy […]
I want allow for the Constitution to be turned into cleaning paper by a criminal who represents the worst of this society. I will never accept the amassing of wealth by a handful of people. I will never accept elections [bought] by the organized crime. I will not accept that the pockets of the poorest people in Europe are ripped off by a handful of people.”
With the opposition MPs leaving the parliament, Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party still holds a majority of 74 seats in the 140-seat parliament.
