From: Exit News
Opposition Leader Vows Not to Recognize Election Results, Launches Fresh National Tour

The leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, has launched a fresh national tour to meet with local party officials and supporters following the April 25 election campaign tour.

Starting with meetings in Durres on Tuesday, Basha stated that his party is not going to recognize the election results.

“It is clear as this shining sun that this result won’t ever be recognized. Our battle goes on, and it will continue until the overthrow of the Rama-Doshi regime,” Basha told his supporters in Durres.

The PD lost the April 25 elections to the ruling Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama. It has filed dozens of complaints over elections with the prosecution office and the Central Election Commission, requesting the latter to repeat elections in 9 of the 12 districts in Albania.

Basha questioned the impartiality and fairness of CEC regarding the expected decisions following his party’s complaints, accusing the institution of following Prime Minister Edi Rama’s orders.

On Tuesday, he told supporters in Lezhe that they had lost one deputy from this district due to unilateral changes to the electoral law and Constitution passed by the Socialist Party in violation of a previous agreement with the opposition.

He accused the Socialist Party of rigging the last elections by colluding with criminal gangs, illegally hiring people before elections, legalizing illegal houses in exchange of votes, stealing people’s personal data and using it for electoral objectives, blackmailing civil servants to vote for them.

The opposition leader promised to fight “until we make the Albanians’ dream for change come true, make it a reality, until Albania is set on a safe path towards a better future.”