Former Interior Minister and former Democratic Party MP Besnik Mustafaj has commented on the protests held in recent months across the country, focusing on youth participation, the government’s response and the political demands raised during the rallies.
In an interview on the show “Goca dhe Gra”, Mustafaj said the escalation of the protests was, in his view, predictable, after a long period in which young people had protested without incidents. He argued that the government’s disregard for their demands contributed to rising tensions.
According to Mustafaj, the current climate in the country is against the political establishment, and a section of young people is seeking new figures and alternatives.
Commenting on calls against Edi Rama and Sali Berisha, the former minister stressed that it cannot be determined how many protesters support them. According to him, real political support can only be measured through the vote.
“The problem is that the vote must remove them. Nothing else can remove them, let’s be realistic”, Mustafaj said, adding that he believes in elections as the way to change power.
He said that personally he would not ask Edi Rama to leave through political pressure, but would vote against him. However, Mustafaj stated that if he were in the prime minister’s position, he would take the country to elections.
Asked what he would tell Rama if he were facing him, Mustafaj said he would ask him to resign.
“Resign, show that you are a statesman”, he said, arguing that political resignation in such situations is part of democratic practice.
Mustafaj also recalled the experience of the 2018 student protests, stressing that today’s generation, in his view, still remembers how that movement ended.