After being excluded from the race for the leadership of the Democratic Party, former MP and member of the leadership of this political force, Ervin Salianji, has addressed a letter to the EPP and the leaders of the European center-right parties.
In the letter, Salianji raises concerns about the blocking of the Democratic Party presidential race, the disregard for the party’s statute, the arbitrary exclusion of members and candidates, the lack of transparency, and the violation of the basic rules of political pluralism.
Salianji emphasizes that: “The issue is not an individual candidacy, but the defense of democratic standards, internal pluralism and the institutional credibility of the largest opposition party in Albania.”
In his communication to the EPP and the leaders of sister European parties, he underlines that the Democratic Party, as part of the European political family, should be a model of internal democracy and not a symbol of closure, exclusion and personal interests.
The letter also highlights the fact that:
* candidacies for the internal competition were effectively prevented;
* the office responsible for submitting documentation did not function within the deadline;
* supporters and candidates were excluded without formal decisions and without statutory arguments;
* the article of the statute that provides for the resignation of the president after losing the parliamentary elections was not respected.
Salianji demands from the EPP and the leaders of European right-wing parties a principled and constructive commitment to encourage dialogue, respect for statutory norms and the preservation of democratic standards within the Democratic Party of Albania.
He reiterates at the end of the letter his commitment to European values, democracy, the rule of law, pluralism and Albania’s European integration.
The letter is addressed to the President of the European People’s Party (EPP), Mr. Manfred Weber, as well as to the leaders of the main European center-right parties that are part of the EPP, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.