Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TIRANA618
2009-09-11 13:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tirana
Cable title:  

SP INSIDER: NO END IN SIGHT TO BOYCOTT; DISCUSSES

Tags:  KDEM PREL PGOV PINS AL 
pdf how-to read a cable
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P 111312Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000618 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2019
TAGS: KDEM PREL PGOV PINS AL
SUBJECT: SP INSIDER: NO END IN SIGHT TO BOYCOTT; DISCUSSES
NEW CABINET

Classified By: CDA Deborah A. Jones, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000618

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2019
TAGS: KDEM PREL PGOV PINS AL
SUBJECT: SP INSIDER: NO END IN SIGHT TO BOYCOTT; DISCUSSES
NEW CABINET

Classified By: CDA Deborah A. Jones, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Ben Blushi, Socialist Party MP and member
of the SP's ruling body (and prominent critic of SP
Chairman Edi Rama),told PolOff on September 11 that Edi
Rama will try to sustain the SP's boycott of
Parliament until PM Berisha agrees to negotiate with Rama
over SP demands. In blasting the boycott, Blushi said it
undermines Albanian democracy and Albania's image as a NATO
country. While he and other SP deputies may defy Rama and
enter the Parliament,
they are likely to be expelled from the Party in doing so.
Rama's tactic is to become PM via a peaceful "color
revolution" ala Ukraine or Georgia. Blushi also said several
cabinet nominees had no idea they were even being considered
for cabinet posts
until the nominations were made public. Interior
Minister-designate Lulzim Basha would use his job as Interior
Minister to push for EU visa
liberalization and to position himself to run for Mayor of
Tirana in 2011. END SUMMARY.

It's All About Me
--------------


2. (C) Blushi, who has been Edi Rama's most vocal critic
from within the SP since the June elections, said Rama will
continue the boycott until PM Berisha enters into
negotiations with the SP over a list of eight SP demands
(demands that have been made public) that the SP says must
be met as a condition for ending the boycott. Blushi
derided many of the SP demands as totally unreasonable,
particularly the requests for the formation of an
SP-dominated parliamentary committee to investigate
allegations of electoral fraud as well as the demand that
all parliamentary committees have equal SP and DP
representation. Blushi said Rama was also seeking
unspecified "political guarantees" from Berisha that would
secure Rama's role as Tirana's main power broker. At the
end of the day, Blushi said, the SP boycott of parliament
has less to do with parliament than with Rama's role as
Mayor of Tirana.


3. (C) Blushi said that because Rama is not in Parliament
he has little to lose by continuing the boycott. Blushi
claimed that Rama sees the legislature as a weak rubber

stamp body for the PM, and thus does not believe that even
a long-term boycott will damage democracy or stability in
Albania or impede the work of the government. Blushi said
Rama cares only about his own role as Mayor of Tirana and
SP Chairman, and claimed that Rama is using the boycott in
part to force PM Berisha to give unspecified "political
guarantees" to Rama in order to secure Rama's position as
Tirana's main power broker. Blushi said the coalition
between Berisha's Democratic Party (DP) and the Socialist
Movement for Integration (LSI) means the SP no longer
controls the Tirana city council, effectively stripping
Rama of his ability to control building permits in the city
and cutting Rama off from his base of support among
Albania's prominent construction companies and builders.

To the Barricades!
--------------


4. (C) Blushi said Rama has deluded himself into thinking
that the only way the SP can take power is via a "color
revolution", ala Ukraine or Georgia. Blushi said Rama
envisions using massive, but peaceful, demonstrations to
force PM Berisha to resign, and has even ordered brightly
colored scarves for protestors to wear. Blushi said few SP
members would likely follow Rama onto the streets for mass
demonstrations (an observation echoed by numerous other
observers) and ridiculed Rama's planned revolution as
little more than a fantasy. Blushi said Rama at this point
sees no point
in taking part in the 2011 local elections, and will
probably push for an SP boycott of the elections
altogether.

Blushi Urges Internationals to Speak Out
--------------


5. (C) Blushi said recent comments by the OSCE, EU and UK
Ambassadors in Tirana that "the opposition belongs in the

TIRANA 00000618 002 OF 002


Parliament," were helpful, but not strong enough to
influence Edi Rama. Blushi said Rama and others in the SP
were waiting for the U.S. to speak out, and said only a
statement by the U.S. could push Rama into ending the
boycott. Blushi dismissed the idea that a boycott of
parliament is an internal political dispute, saying that an
extended boycott will undermine both democracy and
stability in Albania, set a negative precedent for the
future, and hinder Albania's EU aspirations.


6. (C) Blushi said that eventually he and a small group of
other SP Deputies might break ranks with Rama and enter the
Parliament, but admitted he and the others are
reluctant to do so just yet. Blushi said anyone who
defies Rama by entering the Parliament will be expelled
from the SP. Blushi said "nearly everyone" in the
25-member SP's ruling body (known as the Chairmanship or
Presidency) privately opposes the boycott, but only a
small handful have condemned it publicly. Blushi said he
and others opposed to the boycott would hold a small rally
on the evening of September 11 to publicly call on Rama to
end the boycott.

Nominees Caught by Surprise; Basha for Mayor?
--------------


7. (C) Blushi said several of PM Berisha's picks for
cabinetposts had no idea they were even being consideredfor cabinet positions until Berisha publicly annouced his
nominees on the evening of Septeber 9. Blushi said he
met with Defense Minister-esignae Arben Imami only two
hours before Imami's omiation was announce d publicy ad
that Imami hadno inkling he was even beingconidere for
a cabne t post. Blushi said sevrlohr pcks wer alsQ
caught totally off guard.
. C lusi sai current Foreign Minister ndItro
initrnoominee Lulzim Basha was piced or Intro
iiter both to promote EU vis ibealzation an oposition Basha for a run or Myro Tirana in 2011.
Blushi said PM Berisawns hsown Democratic Party and
not Foreign inistrnmne Ilir Meta to get credit for
visaliberalization hus partially explaining why Bash
will go to MoI. Blushi said Basha will also us his
position at the MoI to position himself fora run for
Tirana Mayor in 2011. Blushi said Beriha appears to be
grooming Basha - at least for nw - to become the next DP
leader.


9. (C) COMENT: As Rama's leading critic within the SP,
Bluhi certainly has reason to paint Rama in the worst
possible terms. But Blushi is a serious and wellrespected
politician, not given to hyperbole or xcessive spin. He
has positioned himself withinthe SP as the leader of the
anti-Rama faction, uging Rama to accept the fact that the
SP lost th parliamentary elections and move on. Blushi's
caim that Rama has no incentive to end the parliametary
boycott anytime soon tracks with what Post as heard from
numerous other sources, and Rama hs in the past used the
threat of street demonstrations and boycotts to try and
attract the attention of the international community and
force concessions from the Berisha government. At this
point, the danger of large street demonstrations is slim,
but the boycott is likely to continue for the time being.
At some point, the boycott will become a serious impediment
to the functioning of the Albanian government, as the
DP-led majority lacks the 84 votes necessary to pass
certain key pieces of legislation. END COMMENT.





JONES