Maliqi: Rama has proven to be the most successful politician in the region in the last decade

Political analyst Shkelzen Maliqi says that Edi Rama’s convincing victory in the Albanian elections was expected, as Sali Berisha attempted a political comeback but ended up dividing the Democratic Party, while, on the other hand, Rama has proven to be the most successful politician in the region over the past decade.

He describes Rama as a leader with vision and an ability to invest, which has contributed to Albania's revival, not only in terms of tourism, but also in its significant progress toward European Union membership, and that Albania is now considered a leading candidate for EU accession, alongside Montenegro, having surpassed all others, including Serbia.

Regarding relations with Kosovo, Maliqi notes that Albin Kurti did not even attempt to gain traction in Albania’s elections this time and rightly judged that he had no chance.

"He was a disaster before anyway. He used to interfere in elections everywhere, in Macedonia, in Presevo, but now he seems to have learned a few lessons, because even though his party is the strongest, he still can’t form a government," Maliqi explains.

Maliqi, who served as Rama’s regional advisor during his first term, says Rama’s strategy was to improve relations with all neighbors, prioritizing Serbia and the countries of the former Yugoslavia. He states that Rama wants good relations with everyone, but cannot maintain them with Kosovo because Kurti "acts on his own."

"Or maybe he is just jealous of Rama, honestly, I don’t understand him. Even though he used to advocate for unification with Albania, now he’s changed his rhetoric on that too. As for Rama, he is on the right path across the board. He is determined, has supported radical systemic reform, and especially the fight against corruption, which I believe has been the most thorough in the region. Something similar was done in Romania before. Many ministers from Rama’s government have ended up in prison, even the deputy prime minister from the previous government, a former president... Maybe Rama himself will face the same. Many people expect he could end up like Hashim Thaci. He even established a special court, and in the end, he might be indicted himself. Nonetheless, Rama continues his work on many fronts. Tirana has now become the center of the region, even international conferences are being organized there, whereas they used to be held in Sarajevo or Belgrade," Maliqi concludes.