Sali Berisha
Encyclopedia
Sali Ram Berisha is an Albania
n politician and cardiologist, currently the Prime Minister of Albania and the leader of Democratic Party of Albania
(PD).
A former secretary of the committee of the Party of Labor in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Tirana, he abandoned his career as a cardiologist and university professor to become the leader of the Democratic Party in the 1990s. From 1992, after the fall of communism, he served as the President of Albania until his government collapsed
in 1997 in the wake of the collapse of pyramid scheme
s. From 1997 to 2005, Albania was governed by the Socialist Party
(PS) for two mandates, while he stayed in opposition.
In 2005, the Democratic Party won the general elections, and he became the Prime Minister after his coalition formed the new government. In 2009, he was re-elected Prime Minister, after the Democrats declared a narrow win of general elections
but were forced into a coalition with the Socialist Movement for Integration
(LSI) through not winning enough seats on its own for the first time since the start of multi-party democracy in 1991.
Sali Berisha is married to Liri Berisha (nee Slobodanka Ramaj, daughter of Rexhep Ramaj and Milica Bulatović), a pediatrician. The couple has two children, a daughter, Argita Malltezi (nee Berisha), and a son, Shkëlzen Berisha.
, Tropojë District
, Kukës County
, northern Albania
, near the border with Kosovo
. He studied medicine at the University of Tirana
, graduating in 1967. He specialized in cardiology and was subsequently appointed as an assistant professor of medicine at the same university and as staff cardiologist at the Tirana General Hospital. At the same time, Berisha became a member of a discussion forum for changes in the Albanian Party of Labor while having been enrolled a few years earlier. Apart from his native Albanian, he speaks English, Italian and French fluently. During the 1970s, Berisha gained distinction as the leading researcher in the field of cardiology in Albania and became professor of cardiology at the University of Tirana. In 1978 he received a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural (UNESCO
) fellowship for nine months of advanced study and training in Paris. Upon his return to Albania, Berisha conducted a research program on hemodynamics
that attracted considerable attention among his colleagues in Europe. In 1986 he was elected to be a member of the European Committee for Research on Medical Sciences, where he worked for the elaboration of scientific researches strategies for “Health for all”.
In an interview for the Albanian Writers League newspaper published also in the international press, Berisha demanded that the remaining barriers to freedom of thought and expression be ended, that Albanians be granted the right to travel freely within the country and abroad, and that Albania abandon its isolationist foreign policy. At an August 1990 meeting of the nation’s intellectuals convened by President Ramiz Alia
, Berisha urged the Albanian Party of Labor (APL) to abolish the third article of the communist constitution which sanctioned that the Party of Labor had the hegemony of the Power, to recognize the Human Rights Charter, the drafting of a new democratic constitution, and to remove all monuments of Stalin in the country.
In an article published in the “Bashkimi” newspaper on 17 September 1990, Berisha condemned what he termed the “cosmetic reforms” of the Alia regime, which had only served to aggravate unrest within the nation. Without political pluralism, he argued, there could be no true democracy in Albania.
In December 1990, Berisha joined, on the very first day, a series of student demonstrations that forced the government to approve the establishment of a multi-party system. Berisha emerged as the leader of the Democratic Party of Albania
(DP), the first and largest of the new opposition parties. He was formally elected DP chairman in February 1991 at the party’s first national congress. He was elected member of Albania parliament in 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001 from the constituency of Kavajë
.
, Berisha was elected President of the Republic on 9 April 1992.
Following his election as the second President of the Republic of Albania, Sali Berisha and his government were engaged in a profound course of political, economic, institutional, legislative and multifaceted reforms.
Therefore, the complete privatization
of land and residencies, as well as of all small and medium state enterprises, was accomplished over the period ’92-’96; prices and exchange rates were fully liberalized, and Albania changed from a country of a three figure inflation rate and economic growth regression of –20% into a country with a one-figure inflation rate and with an average economic growth rate of 9% in ’92 and, in ’93 – ’96, 75% of GDP was generated from the private sector.
Albania opened towards the West; it became a member of the Council of Europe
in 1995; it signed the Partnership for Peace Agreement in 1993, and it established a close cooperation with European Union
countries and the United States.
All laws of the communist dictatorship were replaced with new laws of European standards, and a series of institutions that had not been in place before, like the Constitutional Court
and High Council of Justice, were established.
Despite many reforms, the administration was marred by corruption and abuses and allowed the budding of Ponzi saving schemes
. Progress was stalled in 1995, resulting in declining public confidence in government institutions. Berisha's loss of political support became clear in November 1994, when Berisha lost a constitutional referendum amidst fears that the revisions he supported would have given him even more powers.
During the Bosnian War
, it is alleged that the Albanian government willfully defied the UN-posed embargo
on Yugoslavia
by smuggling oil tanks through the Yugoslav-Albanian border at present day Montenegro
.
Berisha's Democratic Party won the general election on 26 May 1996
, though it was marred by accusations of intimidation, manipulation and violent squelching of a peaceful opposition protests discrediting them. The country plunged into a political crisis, as the Democratic Party refused to annul the elections – they had won four-fifths of the seats in parliament – and the opposition Socialists abandoned the institutions.
The collapse of the Ponzi schemes towards the end of 1996, into which it is alleged that Albanians invested $1 billion worth of life savings from 1994, recapped the crisis. The schemes failed, one by one, from December 1996, and demonstrators took to the streets to accuse the government of having stolen the money. Those demonstrations were then taken over by the opposition.
By March, military depots around the country were looted and for a time it looked like civil war would erupt between the government and rebels. Berisha refused opposition demands to step down, and Multinational Forces of NATO were required to step in and take the situation under control. After their intervention in Albania, early elections were held in June 1997, leading to the victory of a socialist-led coalition of parties. He resigned from the president's tenure one month after the DP lost the 1997 elections
to the left coalition. In July 1997, Berisha was replaced by the socialist Rexhep Meidani
. Since then he has been the chairman of the DP, which became the biggest opposition party. He eventually returned to power and, since 2005, has been the leader of the Democratic Party
.
. Although OSCE/ODIHR International Election Observation Mission declared these elections as being manipulated. The coalition won 37% of the votes. Berisha led continuous peaceful demonstrations demanding fresh elections.
On 10 June 2007, Sali Berisha met with U.S. President George W. Bush
in Tirana. Bush became the first U.S. president to visit Albania and repeated his staunch support for the independence of neighbouring Kosovo
from Serbia
: "At some point in time, sooner rather than later, you've got to say, enough is enough. Kosovo is independent."
On 15 March 2008, Berisha faced the toughest challenge of his government when an ammunition dump exploded
in the village of Gërdec
near Tirana, causing the deaths of 26 people and injuring over 100. Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu
resigned, and the press reported many irregularities at the blast site, operated by an Albanian company that deactivated the country's aging ammunition and then sold it for scrap.
In June 2009, Berisha's Democrats declared a narrow win in the parliamentary elections
.
Berisha's alliance won enough seats to form a government, though it fell one seat short of a majority during the elections of 28 June 2009, having to join forces with a splinter socialist party, the Socialist Movement for Integration
of Ilir Meta
, whom Berisha appointed to the post of Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs, and later Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy. It is the first time since the start of multi-party democracy in 1991 that a ruling party had been forced into a coalition through not winning enough seats on its own.
The 2009 elections have been called flawed by the socialist opposition
, who have asked for a recount of the ballots. Berisha has refused any recount of the votes, on the ground that the Albanian Constitution does not foresee such procedure. For that reason he called the opposition to the parliament to change the constitution, but the Socialist Party
refused. The political crisis between government and opposition has worsened over time, with the Socialists abandoning parliamentary debates for months and staging hungerstrikes to ask for internal and international support. The EU attempted a conciliation, which failed. The ongoing political crisis was one of the reasons for the EU's refusal to grant Albania official candidate status in late 2010.
On 21 January 2011, clashes broke out between police and protesters in a anti-government rally in front of the Government building
in Tirana. Four people were shot dead from government special forces. The EU issued a statement to Albanian politicians, warning both sides to refrain from violence, while Berisha defined the protests and the subsequent charges by judges upon policemen as stages of an attempted coup against him.
|-
|-
|-
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n politician and cardiologist, currently the Prime Minister of Albania and the leader of Democratic Party of Albania
Democratic Party of Albania
The Democratic Party of Albania is a center-right, Conservative, political party in Albania and the leading party in the governing coalition since the 2005 parliamentary elections...
(PD).
A former secretary of the committee of the Party of Labor in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Tirana, he abandoned his career as a cardiologist and university professor to become the leader of the Democratic Party in the 1990s. From 1992, after the fall of communism, he served as the President of Albania until his government collapsed
1997 rebellion in Albania
The 1997 unrest in Albania, also known as the Lottery Uprising or Anarchy in Albania, was an uprising sparked by Ponzi scheme failures...
in 1997 in the wake of the collapse of pyramid scheme
Pyramid scheme
A pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business model that involves promising participants payment or services, primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, rather than supplying any real investment or sale of products or services to the public...
s. From 1997 to 2005, Albania was governed by the Socialist Party
Socialist Party of Albania
The Socialist Party of Albania , is a centre-left, social democraticand socially liberal political party in Albania, it is currently the leading opposition party in Albania. It seats 66 MPs in the 2009 Albanian parliament . It achieved power in 1997 after a political crisis and governmental...
(PS) for two mandates, while he stayed in opposition.
In 2005, the Democratic Party won the general elections, and he became the Prime Minister after his coalition formed the new government. In 2009, he was re-elected Prime Minister, after the Democrats declared a narrow win of general elections
Albanian parliamentary election, 2009
A parliamentary election was held in Albania on 28 June 2009. Prior to the election, the electoral law was changed to a regional and proportional system...
but were forced into a coalition with the Socialist Movement for Integration
Socialist Movement for Integration
The Socialist Movement for Integration is a social democratic Albanian political party. It was formed in 2004 after Ilir Meta quit the Socialist Party of Albania.At the elections in July 2005 the party won five seats in the Parliament...
(LSI) through not winning enough seats on its own for the first time since the start of multi-party democracy in 1991.
Sali Berisha is married to Liri Berisha (nee Slobodanka Ramaj, daughter of Rexhep Ramaj and Milica Bulatović), a pediatrician. The couple has two children, a daughter, Argita Malltezi (nee Berisha), and a son, Shkëlzen Berisha.
Early life and career
Berisha was born in ViçidolViçidol
Viçidol is a village in the Tropojë District, Kukës County, northern Albania. It is located away from the town of Tropojë and from the border with Kosovo....
, Tropojë District
Tropojë District
The District of Tropojë is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Kukës County. It has a population of 16,260 , and an area of 1,043 km². It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Bajram Curri. The area is also known for its massive chestnuts forests and the Valbonë...
, Kukës County
Kukës County
The County of Kukës is one of the 12 counties of Albania. It consists of the districts Has, Kukës and Tropojë and its capital is Kukës. To the east, Kukës borders Kosovo, while in the extreme northwest it borders Montenegro and in the extreme southeast it borders the Republic of Macedonia...
, northern Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, near the border with Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. He studied medicine at the University of Tirana
University of Tirana
The University of Tirana is a public university located in Tirana, Albania.-History:UT was founded in 1957 as the State University of Tirana through the merging of five existing institutes of higher education, the most important of which was the Institute of Sciences, founded in 1947...
, graduating in 1967. He specialized in cardiology and was subsequently appointed as an assistant professor of medicine at the same university and as staff cardiologist at the Tirana General Hospital. At the same time, Berisha became a member of a discussion forum for changes in the Albanian Party of Labor while having been enrolled a few years earlier. Apart from his native Albanian, he speaks English, Italian and French fluently. During the 1970s, Berisha gained distinction as the leading researcher in the field of cardiology in Albania and became professor of cardiology at the University of Tirana. In 1978 he received a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural (UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
) fellowship for nine months of advanced study and training in Paris. Upon his return to Albania, Berisha conducted a research program on hemodynamics
Hemodynamics
Hemodynamics, meaning literally "blood movement" is the study of blood flow or the circulation.All animal cells require oxygen for the conversion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins into carbon dioxide , water and energy in a process known as aerobic respiration...
that attracted considerable attention among his colleagues in Europe. In 1986 he was elected to be a member of the European Committee for Research on Medical Sciences, where he worked for the elaboration of scientific researches strategies for “Health for all”.
In an interview for the Albanian Writers League newspaper published also in the international press, Berisha demanded that the remaining barriers to freedom of thought and expression be ended, that Albanians be granted the right to travel freely within the country and abroad, and that Albania abandon its isolationist foreign policy. At an August 1990 meeting of the nation’s intellectuals convened by President Ramiz Alia
Ramiz Alia
was the second and last communist leader of Albania from 1985-91, and the President of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania from 1991 to 1992, and also the first President of the post communist Albania elected in 1991-92. He had been designated as successor by Enver Hoxha and took power after...
, Berisha urged the Albanian Party of Labor (APL) to abolish the third article of the communist constitution which sanctioned that the Party of Labor had the hegemony of the Power, to recognize the Human Rights Charter, the drafting of a new democratic constitution, and to remove all monuments of Stalin in the country.
In an article published in the “Bashkimi” newspaper on 17 September 1990, Berisha condemned what he termed the “cosmetic reforms” of the Alia regime, which had only served to aggravate unrest within the nation. Without political pluralism, he argued, there could be no true democracy in Albania.
In December 1990, Berisha joined, on the very first day, a series of student demonstrations that forced the government to approve the establishment of a multi-party system. Berisha emerged as the leader of the Democratic Party of Albania
Democratic Party of Albania
The Democratic Party of Albania is a center-right, Conservative, political party in Albania and the leading party in the governing coalition since the 2005 parliamentary elections...
(DP), the first and largest of the new opposition parties. He was formally elected DP chairman in February 1991 at the party’s first national congress. He was elected member of Albania parliament in 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001 from the constituency of Kavajë
Kavajë
Kavajë or Kavaja, capital of Kavajë District, Tirana County is a city situated on the western inlands, just a few kilometers off the Adriatic Sea, in Central Albania.The District of Kavajë has a population of 82,921 inhabitants as of January 1, 2010....
.
President (1992–1997)
After the first free elections of AlbaniaAlbanian parliamentary election, 1992
Parliamentary elections were held in Albania on 22 March 1992, with a second round of voting for eleven seats on 29 March. The result was a victory for the opposition Democratic Party of Albania, which won 92 of the 140 seats. After the election Aleksandër Meksi became Prime Minister and Sali...
, Berisha was elected President of the Republic on 9 April 1992.
Following his election as the second President of the Republic of Albania, Sali Berisha and his government were engaged in a profound course of political, economic, institutional, legislative and multifaceted reforms.
Therefore, the complete privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of land and residencies, as well as of all small and medium state enterprises, was accomplished over the period ’92-’96; prices and exchange rates were fully liberalized, and Albania changed from a country of a three figure inflation rate and economic growth regression of –20% into a country with a one-figure inflation rate and with an average economic growth rate of 9% in ’92 and, in ’93 – ’96, 75% of GDP was generated from the private sector.
Albania opened towards the West; it became a member of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
in 1995; it signed the Partnership for Peace Agreement in 1993, and it established a close cooperation with European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
countries and the United States.
All laws of the communist dictatorship were replaced with new laws of European standards, and a series of institutions that had not been in place before, like the Constitutional Court
Constitutional Court of Albania
The Constitutional Court of Albania , officially known as the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania , is the final authority for the interpretation of the Constitution of Albania and the compliance of laws in accordance with the constitution....
and High Council of Justice, were established.
Despite many reforms, the administration was marred by corruption and abuses and allowed the budding of Ponzi saving schemes
Ponzi scheme
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned by the individual or organization running the operation...
. Progress was stalled in 1995, resulting in declining public confidence in government institutions. Berisha's loss of political support became clear in November 1994, when Berisha lost a constitutional referendum amidst fears that the revisions he supported would have given him even more powers.
During the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
, it is alleged that the Albanian government willfully defied the UN-posed embargo
Embargo
An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
on Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
by smuggling oil tanks through the Yugoslav-Albanian border at present day Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
.
Berisha's Democratic Party won the general election on 26 May 1996
Albanian parliamentary election, 1996
Parliamentary elections were held in Albania on 26 May 1996, with a second round of voting for 25 seats on 2 June. The result was a victory for the ruling Democratic Party of Albania, which won 122 of the 140 seats...
, though it was marred by accusations of intimidation, manipulation and violent squelching of a peaceful opposition protests discrediting them. The country plunged into a political crisis, as the Democratic Party refused to annul the elections – they had won four-fifths of the seats in parliament – and the opposition Socialists abandoned the institutions.
The collapse of the Ponzi schemes towards the end of 1996, into which it is alleged that Albanians invested $1 billion worth of life savings from 1994, recapped the crisis. The schemes failed, one by one, from December 1996, and demonstrators took to the streets to accuse the government of having stolen the money. Those demonstrations were then taken over by the opposition.
By March, military depots around the country were looted and for a time it looked like civil war would erupt between the government and rebels. Berisha refused opposition demands to step down, and Multinational Forces of NATO were required to step in and take the situation under control. After their intervention in Albania, early elections were held in June 1997, leading to the victory of a socialist-led coalition of parties. He resigned from the president's tenure one month after the DP lost the 1997 elections
Albanian parliamentary election, 1997
Parliamentary elections were held in Albania on 29 June 1996 alongside a simultaneous referendum on restoring the monarchy, with a second round of voting for 32 seats on 6 July. The result was a victory for the Socialist Party of Albania, which won 101 of the 151 seats. Voter turnout was...
to the left coalition. In July 1997, Berisha was replaced by the socialist Rexhep Meidani
Rexhep Meidani
is an Albanian politician. He graduated from the University of Tirana , Faculty of Natural Sciences, Branch Physics, as well as successfully accomplished the postgraduate studies in the University of Caen...
. Since then he has been the chairman of the DP, which became the biggest opposition party. He eventually returned to power and, since 2005, has been the leader of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party of Albania
The Democratic Party of Albania is a center-right, Conservative, political party in Albania and the leading party in the governing coalition since the 2005 parliamentary elections...
.
Opposition leader (1997–2005)
Sali Berisha led the coalition of the center right wing parties in the general elections held in 5 rounds in June–August 2001Albanian parliamentary election, 2001
Parliamentary elections were held in Albania on 24 June 2001. The result was a victory for the ruling Socialist Party of Albania, which won 73 of the 140 seats, resulting in Ilir Meta remaining Prime Minister...
. Although OSCE/ODIHR International Election Observation Mission declared these elections as being manipulated. The coalition won 37% of the votes. Berisha led continuous peaceful demonstrations demanding fresh elections.
Prime Minister (2005-ongoing)
On 3 July 2005 Sali Berisha was able to lead a coalition of five right center parties into the 2005 parliamentary elections, which eventually won a majority of 74 MPs from a total of 140. He was appointed Prime Minister of Albania on 8 September 2005.On 10 June 2007, Sali Berisha met with U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in Tirana. Bush became the first U.S. president to visit Albania and repeated his staunch support for the independence of neighbouring Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
from Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
: "At some point in time, sooner rather than later, you've got to say, enough is enough. Kosovo is independent."
On 15 March 2008, Berisha faced the toughest challenge of his government when an ammunition dump exploded
2008 Gërdec explosions
The 2008 Gërdec explosions occurred at approximately noon local time on Saturday 15 March 2008 at an ex-military ammunition depot in the village of Gërdec in the Vorë Municipality, Albania . The explosions could be heard in the Macedonian capital of Skopje, away.A large fire caused a series of...
in the village of Gërdec
Gërdec
Gërdec is a village in Albania, 11 kilometers north-west of the capital Tirana, part of the municipality Vorë. It was the site of the explosions at a military base on 15 March 2008, causing the deaths of more than 27 people and injuring over 100....
near Tirana, causing the deaths of 26 people and injuring over 100. Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu
Fatmir Mediu
Fatmir Mediu is a former Albanian Minister of Defence . On March 2008, after the military ammunition explosion incident in Gërdec, where 26 people were killed, Mediu resigned and is under investigation. His successor is Gazmend Oketa.He is currently Minister of Environment, Forests & Water...
resigned, and the press reported many irregularities at the blast site, operated by an Albanian company that deactivated the country's aging ammunition and then sold it for scrap.
In June 2009, Berisha's Democrats declared a narrow win in the parliamentary elections
Albanian parliamentary election, 2009
A parliamentary election was held in Albania on 28 June 2009. Prior to the election, the electoral law was changed to a regional and proportional system...
.
Berisha's alliance won enough seats to form a government, though it fell one seat short of a majority during the elections of 28 June 2009, having to join forces with a splinter socialist party, the Socialist Movement for Integration
Socialist Movement for Integration
The Socialist Movement for Integration is a social democratic Albanian political party. It was formed in 2004 after Ilir Meta quit the Socialist Party of Albania.At the elections in July 2005 the party won five seats in the Parliament...
of Ilir Meta
Ilir Meta
Ilir Rexhep Meta is an Albanian politician. He is the current Deputy Prime Minister. He was Prime Minister of Albania from 1999 to 2002 and has been Foreign minister twice since then.- Studies :...
, whom Berisha appointed to the post of Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs, and later Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy. It is the first time since the start of multi-party democracy in 1991 that a ruling party had been forced into a coalition through not winning enough seats on its own.
The 2009 elections have been called flawed by the socialist opposition
Socialist Party of Albania
The Socialist Party of Albania , is a centre-left, social democraticand socially liberal political party in Albania, it is currently the leading opposition party in Albania. It seats 66 MPs in the 2009 Albanian parliament . It achieved power in 1997 after a political crisis and governmental...
, who have asked for a recount of the ballots. Berisha has refused any recount of the votes, on the ground that the Albanian Constitution does not foresee such procedure. For that reason he called the opposition to the parliament to change the constitution, but the Socialist Party
Socialist Party of Albania
The Socialist Party of Albania , is a centre-left, social democraticand socially liberal political party in Albania, it is currently the leading opposition party in Albania. It seats 66 MPs in the 2009 Albanian parliament . It achieved power in 1997 after a political crisis and governmental...
refused. The political crisis between government and opposition has worsened over time, with the Socialists abandoning parliamentary debates for months and staging hungerstrikes to ask for internal and international support. The EU attempted a conciliation, which failed. The ongoing political crisis was one of the reasons for the EU's refusal to grant Albania official candidate status in late 2010.
On 21 January 2011, clashes broke out between police and protesters in a anti-government rally in front of the Government building
2011 Albanian opposition demonstrations
The 2011 Albanian opposition demonstrations are a series of anti-government protests in cities around Albania. Following 18 months of political conflict over alleged electoral fraud by the opposition. A video surfaced which portrayed the vice-Prime Minister corruption deal with the Minister of...
in Tirana. Four people were shot dead from government special forces. The EU issued a statement to Albanian politicians, warning both sides to refrain from violence, while Berisha defined the protests and the subsequent charges by judges upon policemen as stages of an attempted coup against him.
Controversies
- Pyramid schemes in Albania
- 1998 failed coup d'état
- Yellow House Case
- 2008 Gërdec explosions2008 Gërdec explosionsThe 2008 Gërdec explosions occurred at approximately noon local time on Saturday 15 March 2008 at an ex-military ammunition depot in the village of Gërdec in the Vorë Municipality, Albania . The explosions could be heard in the Macedonian capital of Skopje, away.A large fire caused a series of...
- 2011 Albanian opposition demonstrations2011 Albanian opposition demonstrationsThe 2011 Albanian opposition demonstrations are a series of anti-government protests in cities around Albania. Following 18 months of political conflict over alleged electoral fraud by the opposition. A video surfaced which portrayed the vice-Prime Minister corruption deal with the Minister of...
External links
- Official website
- "Supplier Under Scrutiny on Arms for Afghans", New York Times article
- "Sali Berisha" Query at Google Scholar
- Sali Berisha news (in Albanian)
|-
|-
|-