Ramadani: Kurti's populist politics does not bring good to the Albanian community in North Macedonia

Ismet Ramadani, President of the Euro-Atlantic Council of North Macedonia, stated that he did not see what good and new participation of the Self-Determination Movement in the elections in North Macedonia could bring to the Albanian community, considering that Albanian parties in that country were well acquainted with parliamentary and institutional values, as well as the interests and affinities of the citizens.

Ramadani points out that Self-Determination should focus more on internal issues in Kosovo rather than spreading populist politics to the region.

"I don't know what their goal is, but their goal is not very good. I think they haven't calculated that Albanian parties in North Macedonia are well-established and institutionally refined, they know things well, and even in some areas, they have commendable results compared to the position of Albanians. They are familiar with the meaning of institutional action. If I were in the position of these parties operating here, I think they not only do not have the need but cannot learn anything new in the country from their exponents or Mr. Kurti and his party members," Ramadani said.

He expressed his incomprehension of what Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti wants to achieve through populist politics.

"Populism is not valued at all, neither by Western nor Euro-Atlantic countries nor is it a standard or criterion that can be embraced by progressive political parties, regardless of the bloc they are from, whether left or right. I think it's a mistake for opposition parties to expect to adorn themselves with someone else's feathers because there really is no need. The people I see around them, because I know them, are much more prepared and politically educated than those who are exponents or people who offered to help them supposedly as opposition, in that competition with Ali Ahmeti's party, that is, the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI). If we compare these exponents as personalities, they are far from the fame or authority that DUI leader Ali Ahmeti has, so there really is no need for that," he assessed.

He believes that populist politics are not concrete, progressive, acceptable, or good for citizens.

Therefore, as he says, Kurti should first do everything in his government to have ministries that should be successful for him, whether they relate to the internal or external interests of Kosovo.

"Because we must understand, if we compare members of his government and members of the government from Albanian parties, I think I can say with great competence that our ministers here who operate in our government are more prepared to institutionally perform their tasks. If he thinks he will stimulate something more in the fight against corruption and crime, I think there is a lot of work to be done in Kosovo," Ramadani emphasized.

Opposition parties from North Macedonia, he says, can present themselves to citizens with ideas, possibilities, and categorical positions in the fight against corruption and crime. According to him, leaders of opposition parties have experience in running institutions, whether they are mayors or in Parliament.

All Albanian parties in North Macedonia, he notes, are parliamentary parties and have experience in institutional action.

"I would say that they can even help members of the government or Kurti's party in certain situations. As I see things, these standards or criteria are much more developed among Albanian parties here, whether they are in a position or in opposition, than in Kurti's government," Ramadani emphasized.

However, he adds that there are always opposition parties and opposition citizens who are not satisfied with some things, whether it is the fight against crime or in various other segments such as infrastructure, education, health, and many others.

"However, I don't believe that there is a majority of citizens, conditionally speaking, Albanians here who need advice or instructions from the exponents of Self-Determination or Kurti's party on how to behave politically and institutionally for the everyday problems and needs of citizens. There are people, even in opposition parties, who think that with the name of Albin Kurti, they will be able to win more votes than those who are disappointed here and for whom Kurti is an idol with his actions. And I would say that when he was in opposition, and even now in his political actions, he takes on that authoritarian and populist way of acting," Ramadani concluded.