For 3 hours at the table with Majko ON PAGES 2-3

Andi Bejtja For the opposition leader Sali Berisha, given the recent developments on the Albanian political scene, the government’s latest rush to test responsibility with the strongmen, the strong resurgence of the opposition protest, and above all yesterday’s meeting between the opposition chief and the head of government, it is hard not to think of what Prime Minister Pandeli Majko warned about in the darkest tones a week ago in Gjirokastër. The first remark that immediately comes to mind when hearing such a statement, if one knows the country’s political life and especially its short post-communist history, is that the prime minister’s warning is entirely natural. Since our country has barely once escaped the possible disasters brought by early elections, for any politically engaged actor this would be an absolutely undesirable development. The same should also be true for Prime Minister Majko himself. If, as seems to be the case, the opposition’s rejection of the government is not merely the personal resentment of 29 August or an electoral whim, but stems from the deep disagreements that the left has with the socialist leadership group, then the categorical position of the head of government is understandable. Likewise, if the purpose of the Berisha-Majko meeting was to minimize any kind of tension in order to avoid further political destabilization of the country, the position of the opposition leader is also clear. Nevertheless, to understand the essence of yesterday’s move, one must bear in mind what has happened to part of the governing coalition in recent weeks. Above all, and in addition to official statements, what is truly important is the fact that certain segments within the governing coalition have embraced a dialogue argument as their own. The preferred assertion is that the current government functions as if the coalition were homogeneous. This may be self-evident for the ministers of the cabinet, but not for a large part of the parties that have sent their representatives into this cabinet. This mismatch between the views of part of the cabinet and especially of many representatives of the coalition parties makes interest in such a meeting understandable. Anyone who has carefully read the prime minister’s statement a week ago in Gjirokastër can see clearly that the prime minister is not simply seeking to broaden the basis of government with other parties. This is a new opportunity to present the conflict with his political opponents not as a clash between socialists and democrats, but as a confrontation between modernists and conservatives. That is why he has not rejected all the suggestions coming from outside the governing coalition’s structures. For this reason, in the end, this meeting also has a broader and more long-term significance. If Majko manages to broaden the base of the majority with additional support, then he will have won an important battle against his own internal opponents. Otherwise, yesterday’s meeting will remain merely a symbolic act. page 4

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