Ruçi against Majko
Yesterday’s vote splits the Socialist parliamentary group in two. Meta wins. Page 3
. Yesterday’s vote split the Socialist parliamentary group in two. Meta wins. Page 3. The PS, the battle has begun. The battle of the clans within the PS over Nano’s succession is gradually taking full shape. Although there are several groups seeking to seize what Nano left behind, the main battle appears to be unfolding between Majko and his people and supporters of former chairman Nano, while in the shadows stands Meta, a contender with strong international support. Despite the propaganda smoke bombs thrown by its leaders in an effort to minimize the negative effects among the grassroots, the contenders and their supporters are leaving no opportunity unused to gain ground at the expense of the opposing side. This battle, though disguised, is being fought on every front, starting with the shifting of people at various levels of the state administration, changes in competences in favor of one ministry or another, efforts to attract the larger share of the base, and the adoption of opposing positions on various issues. The clearest example is the reactions concerning the announcement of former chairman Nano’s resignation. Thus, in recent days alone, Prime Minister Majko, after visiting several cities, has gathered the local party leaders at the PS headquarters. What is striking is that Majko’s meeting with the regional leaders comes immediately after the revival of former chairman Nano’s supporters, following his warning that he would begin his battle for a return precisely from the party’s grassroots. And before the discussions and comments about the prime minister’s contacts with branch leaders have even died down, a bitter debate erupts in parliament between the man known as the PS’s “strong hand,” Mr. Gramoz Ruçi, and Majko himself. Considering that the dispute arose over a not particularly important law, one would think that the Ruçi-Majko debate was more a show of strength, a test to see how much each could “hold his ground” against the other. Judging only by the reactions that accompanied Nano’s departure, it was not difficult to understand that the PS’s coordinating secretary is perhaps the central figure in the group seeking Nano’s return to the head of the PS. But Majko, with the added advantage of wielding power as prime minister, has every reason to seek control of the party leadership as well. Despite the party leader’s claim. “What does this claim of theirs mean?” The whole thing, in the present case, is that the PS itself, controlled by his opponents, would seriously endanger the prime minister’s position. But the real winner of the battle that has broken out in the PS will surely be Berisha, who, by stoking divisions in the PS, sees his return to power drawing closer. The currents and shows of strength between Nano’s supporters and the anti-Nano camp are now making noise in parliament, where Ruçi leads the Socialist group with an iron hand, while Majko and Meta are working at different levels to win, since they have almost everything in their hands: the state, the party and Meta.
The contest between rival factions in the PS moved into the parliamentary chamber yesterday. The Muskajs showed that the prime minister is stronger than Nano