Hajdari throws the PD into the streets
Berisha’s call: Get ready for anything Politics heats up after the Mitku incident. No one accepts responsibility between the two sides
Rajonës ajsiper PS and Nano, “We will enforce the law against warmongers”
TIRANË - The PD has not only announced that it will boycott government decisions affecting the press and radio-television issues, but yesterday it sharply hardened its political stance. After the imminent protest by judges, the PD declared that “the government has entered the path of civil confrontation, thinking it can solve its problems by force. In the last two days the majority has acted in such a way that it is clear to everyone that it is aiming at escalating the situation and intensifying conflicts for momentary political interests.” Referring to the tension created by the incident involving Mitku’s car and yesterday’s demonstration by judges in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, the PD spokesperson said even more bluntly yesterday that “if the government aims to establish its dictatorship, we will respond with all democratic forms of protest.” The above sentence is accompanied below by a call from the chairman of this party, Berisha, addressed to members and supporters of the PD: “You must get ready for stronger protests… PD will respond to the government with the force of the law.” It is not known whether Berisha’s above idea will materialize in another violent reaction like the one of 15-16 February, and therefore one cannot speak of continuity of the decision that the PS took after those events to exclude the PD from the political process. But yesterday representatives of this political force openly stated in the media against this measure, insisting that the country would enter an even stronger “spiral” of conflict, which would undermine political stability. “Just as on 15-16 February, the government is creating serious situations in order to push the opposition into extremely difficult positions. But this not only does not frighten the opposition, it strengthens it to move forward. The PD is bearing maximum responsibility,” its parliamentary group leader Tritan Shehu declared yesterday. Meanwhile, the government, through its spokesperson, has called on the PD to distance itself from “criminal” excesses. “For every excess by the opposition, the government will take on all its responsibilities. It is up to the opposition to restrain itself,” government spokesperson Ben Blushi said yesterday. The opposition, meanwhile, has not been deterred and tried to find other ways to intensify protests to the maximum. They began with the boycott of parliamentary proceedings by Democratic deputies. They all left the Assembly hall when the leader of the PS group, Pandeli Majko, labeled them “warmongers.” That phrase was followed by the immediate exit of all Democratic deputies from the hall, and they did not return until the session ended. Another reason for their departure was the rejection of their request to speak in yesterday’s parliament. The PD has insisted on calling the previous night’s incident between the speaker’s car and protesters “provoked” and has demanded at all costs that it be discussed in the Assembly. “Blocking speech in parliament is a scandal,” Democratic deputy speaker of the Assembly Namik Dokle said yesterday. “The government is being frightened by the truth.” Other PD deputies were on the same line, speaking of the “arrogance of power.” “One cannot remain silent when the opposition is being mistreated and when the state is used to shut it up,” one of them declared. On the other hand, the left-wing majority reiterated that it would not tolerate any attempt at destabilization. After the parliamentary group meeting, PS officials described Berisha’s rhetoric as “irresponsible” and as inciting tension. Prime Minister Nano, according to statements by socialist officials, stressed that “the law will be enforced against anyone who incites violence.” The day’s debate thus expanded from the Mitku incident to the broader government-opposition relationship, shifting the political climate toward a stronger confrontation. Meanwhile, the public is presented with a tense scene on the eve of further protests announced by the opposition and an institutional counter-response from the government.