The anti-government protest that entered its 58th day yesterday seems to be heavily financed by the socialists themselves. The newspaper “Sot” has learned shocking details from the heated political backstage, where Prime Minister Edi Rama is now on full alert of a massive “betrayal” within his own government cabinet. Confidential sources indicate that the head of government has smelled suspicious movements and strongly suspects that at least 3 cabinet ministers are working behind his back, pouring funds into keeping the popular revolt alive. It is learned that Prime Minister Rama is extremely angry with the ministers in question and is expected to take drastic measures against them. But the 3 ministers are not the only ones who want to make a hole in Edi Rama.
In this power-hungry scenario, unprecedented behind-the-scenes events are coming to light, as it is learned that former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku is playing a double game with great political benefits. Ms. Balluku, who is being investigated by the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) for corruption, money laundering and violation of equality in tenders in several episodes, has a direct interest in ensuring that the attention and anger of citizens is directed entirely towards Rama and not towards her scandals, which is why she is acting with great insight. To achieve this objective, she is unhesitatingly using her “dice” in the ranks of the Democratic Party to mobilize as many people as possible in the squares.
This is not the first time that the former deputy prime minister has shown that she knows how to weave intrigues and bargains “under the rug” with the opposition to the detriment of her socialist colleagues. A few months ago, Ms. Balluku was involved in a detailed and well-thought-out scheme to politically weaken and destroy the mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj. There are strong suspicions that through the DP deputy, Belind Këlliçi, she has financed the Democratic Party with staggering amounts to organize a total of 46 consecutive protests in front of the municipality.
Këlliç’s name stands out as a key point in this scenario, where the funds used for opposition actions did not come from the PD’s coffers, but directly from the highest dome of socialist power. And while the opposition shouts in the streets against the regime, the bills for the protests are being openly sponsored from within the government itself, bringing the Albanian political picture to completely grotesque proportions. Now that the game has been revealed, Prime Minister Rama is ready to start a very savage cutting circle within the party to exterminate the “snakes” that grow in his bosom.
However, it remains to be seen what kind of storm will erupt within the Socialist Party after the revelation of this devastating betrayal. In the meantime, below we are reflecting all the sensational details of what has happened so far with the protest that marked its 58th day yesterday, as well as the behind-the-scenes of the serious accusations against former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku for her involvement in the protests against Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj.
Citizens stand up against the government, protest enters 58th day
Specifically, the anti-government protest entered its 58th day yesterday, while citizens have been on the streets from morning to evening, holding several rallies in different parts of Tirana. The day began yesterday in front of the Parliament, where since 08:30 hundreds of protesters gathered to oppose the holding of the plenary session. The area was cordoned off by numerous police forces, who had blocked all entrances to the Parliament. During the protesters’ attempts to approach the building, there were tensions with the Police.
The situation escalated after several people were escorted by blue uniforms. After the incidents in front of the Parliament, hundreds of citizens marched towards Commissariat No. 1, where they demanded the release of the escorted people and opposed the intervention of the Police during the protest. In the afternoon, the protesters returned to the square again, this time in front of the Prime Minister’s Office building, where they continued the protest with banners and national flags. During the march, cries of “Rama go away!”, “Resign!” and “Albania will not surrender!” were heard continuously, while the organizers reiterated that the protest will continue every day, without interruption.
The next rally comes after the presentation of the “Besa” platform by Prime Minister Edi Rama, which according to him aims to create a more direct communication with citizens. The protesters expressed that they do not consider the Prime Minister’s statements sufficient and that they do not expect new platforms or initiatives from the government. According to them, the protest has long passed the stage of sectoral demands and now has only one objective: the removal of Edi Rama from the leadership of the government. The organizers emphasized that taking to the streets daily remains the only means to exert pressure on the government and that the protests will continue until this goal is achieved.
How Balluku-Veliaj was “buried” through the opposition and secret files
Meanwhile, we recall that as far as the background to the serious accusations against Belinda Balluku for her involvement in the protests against Erion Veliaj is concerned, the facts so far show that the key figure who has been pulling the strings in the shadows is precisely the former deputy prime minister. For a long time, she was seen as Veliaj’s direct rival in the race for Rama’s political legacy. The news spread a few months ago by the media close to the mayor about an organized attack from within the cabinet, now takes full concrete form: Balluku is involved in a detailed scheme to weaken and politically destroy Veliaj.
There are strong suspicions that, through the Democratic MP Belind Këlliçi alias Belo Ezmeri, she has financed the Democratic Party to organize a total of 46 consecutive protests against the mayor of Tirana. Belind Këlliçi’s name stands out as the key point of this scenario, using funds that did not come from the PD’s coffers, but directly from the socialist government’s dome. So, the opposition was protesting in the streets, while the sponsorship came from within the government itself, a moment where the Albanian political picture takes on completely grotesque proportions. Another strong element that directly implicates Balluk is related to the Civil Aviation scandal.
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An anonymous whistleblower asked SPAK to investigate that 20 years ago Veliaj had traveled with a businessman on the same plane, but the information was so detailed that it immediately raised the big question: who had this access? Since the TIMS system did not exist then and the Civil Aviation documents are strictly closed, supporters and analysts close to Veliaj have said it openly: only Belinda Balluku could have put her hands there. This strong thesis was further reinforced by former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj from his escape to Switzerland. Ahmetaj openly declared that Balluku has paid opposition figures, such as Flamur Noka and Belind Këlliçi, to mobilize people against Veliaj, confirming that this “backstabbing” war is not a guess, but a well-known reality in the SP dome.
All these facts raise strong suspicions that the mysterious whistleblower “Nesti Angoni” who led Mayor Veliaj to prison is not just an ordinary citizen, but a person within the government structures who had access to information and corrupt schemes of the Municipality of Tirana. If this person had access to internal documents implicating Veliaj, this shows that he was an individual closely connected to politics and high administration, and not a person from the outside. So this gives even more weight to the thesis and reinforces the suspicions that Belinda Balluku played a key and important role in this denunciation.