The chairman of the Democratic Party (PD), Lulzim Basha, has expelled from the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, the founder of the party and former prime minister of the country.
Earlier this evening, Basha released a statement saying that until Berisha solves his legal issues with the US Department of State, he will be excluded from the party’s parliamentary group. The decision was made the evening before the new Albanian parliament convenes.
Earlier this year, Berisha and his family were declared persona non grata and banned from entering the US due to “corrupt acts” that “undermined democracy in Albania.”
US Ambassador to Albania Yuri Kim made several calls for him not to enter parliament.
Berisha responded by pledging to take up the mandate, and by filing a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation against Blinken.
In his statement, Basha said that the Department of State’s decision does not take away from Berisha’s achievements, but the issue is complicated.
“I have made every effort to find a solution to this issue. Our partnership with the United States is inviolable and will remain so in the interest of the [country’s] future,” he explained.
