BERISHA: I miss Parliament
The deputy prime minister’s group and the Northern lobby
Yesterday, at the meeting of the PD Parliamentary Group, the Democratic leader in favor of entering Parliament
Let’s enter before Saliu goes to America
The current government, headed by the young Majko and Meta, should have received wholehearted support, both because of the critical moment when it took the country’s reins into its hands and because of its limited experience in running state affairs—first and foremost from the political forces of the “Alliance for the State,” led by the PS. But, in an ironic twist of fate, paradoxically it finds itself under attack from the largest party in the governing coalition itself, to which the two young politicians belong, who quite unexpectedly found themselves holding the reins of government. Representatives of political-financial clans within the PS, while calling it an insult that two young men are in charge, believe they can be brought down very easily. These and other motives have meant that the Majko-Meta duo is constantly under attack from PS clans, which are exploiting even the most trivial pretexts to put obstacles in the way of the prime minister and his deputy. So far, however, these efforts have failed.
Though not especially conspicuously, Deputy Prime Minister Meta is playing the leading role in ensuring the government’s survival in the face of palace coups that some Socialist politicians are trying to organize. Despite his young age, Meta has authority among almost all members of the government, and this has helped keep it stable and ensure that everything proceeds normally. Thanks to Meta’s role, the influence of the clans has not managed to penetrate the government, although it has created quite a few problems within the PS itself. But Meta’s role in the government’s survival is felt most strongly within the PS. As is known, years ago, being the youngest member of the Socialist leadership, Meta was undoubtedly the only figure capable of changing the PS’s image shaped by its legacy. This, along with his ability to preserve the balance of forces, brought several leading Socialist figures closer to him, including FRESSH. As a result, Meta has succeeded in efforts to avert the negative impact of attacks against the government and the party itself. The main credit for Majko’s victories in recent confidence votes within PS forums belongs precisely to Meta and his role, without overlooking the dedicated work of the 30-year-old prime minister. It is people close to Meta whose votes have tipped the balance in Majko’s favor. The lobby of Vlora’s MPs has also played a role in this balance; in terms of numbers, they may be the second-largest parliamentary group, ahead even of Gjinushi. Yesterday, too, Parliament was poised to reject Majko’s nominee, Justice Minister Panda, but as soon as the deputy prime minister entered the chamber, he used his conversational approach to turn the votes against the nominee into votes in favor. For now, it seems, Meta’s lobby remains one of the strongest, making the political game within the PS all the more interesting. A shift in the balance by the deputy prime minister could lead to the government’s downfall—a downfall sought by the anti-Majko lobby. But it should be noted that the prime minister has not yet managed to draw members of the Vlora MPs’ lobby into his camp. That lobby is represented in the government only by the gentle, submissive Musa Ulqini, which does not satisfy the ambitions of this lobby, whose influence is steadily growing, quietly, only to erupt in September with the opening of the new parliamentary session, when MPs are also allowed to regroup into new parliamentary groups.