The forthcoming election in Albania, according to a former ambassador from that country, will be more like to a runoff between Trump’s ideas and those of George and Alex Soros, since the opposition parties will be voicing their disapproval of the ruling socialists’ corruption.
“Albania is now effectively a one-party system pretending to hold elections,” said Agim Nesho, a former ambassador of Albania to the US and the UN, in an interview with AWN Digital. The election in May “is a clash between ‘Trump-ists’ and ‘Soros-ists,’ with the latter fighting to keep their grip on corruption and the state in Albania.”
Many are questioning the veracity of the next May 11 elections for Albania’s 140-member Parliament in light of corruption allegations and the recent detention of prominent political candidates.
According to Nesho, the socialist party in power in the nation, headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama, “is deeply rooted and undemocratic.” Over the last twelve years, it has received funding from wealthy left-wing benefactors such as Alex Soros, who is close to Rama, as well as initiatives such as USAID and the Open Society [Foundations] judicial reform, which Rama has used to undermine the conservative, center-right opposition. According to him, the prime minister “also oversees a powerful narco-state that spreads fear and exerts controls over elections.”
Politico reports that in February, Chris LaCivita—who had previously worked as president Trump’s campaign manager—joined the campaign of Sali Berisha, the head of the conservative Democratic Party of Albania. The magazine was informed by LaCivita that Berisha would be “a true friend of the United States and… will successfully work with President Trump and the United States.” The man accused Rama of being a “puppet of George Soros.”
While speaking with AWN Digital, former Albanian president and prime minister Berisha said that Rama’s administration “banned my name and the name of the party in the voting list” for the May 2023 elections. He remarked, “When they failed with these measures,” they proceeded even farther.
After Berisha’s immunity was revoked and he was placed under house arrest in December 2023, Parliament accused him of using his position to assist his son-in-law in acquiring private land. “Official documents proved” that the land had been stolen by the old Communist administration, but Berisha claims that his son-in-law’s grandfather owned it.
The release of Berisha from home arrest occurred last November. According to the Associated Press, he was officially charged with corruption in September.
According to AWN Digital’s interview with Alfred Lela, Berisha’s publicist, the singer is currently awaiting trial.
The arrest of Berisha and former Albanian president and head of the Centrist Freedom Party, Ilir Meta, on corruption accusations occurred in October 2024. AWN Digital was informed by a source that this was a result of a “weaponization of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies.” Although Meta was formerly on Rama’s side, she has long voiced her disapproval of the Rama government’s growing autocracy and corruption.
According to a 2023 analysis by the European Center for Law & Justice, the Open Society Foundations (OSF) headed by George Soros “supported Mr. Rama’s rise to power” in Albania with around $131 million in investments made between 1992 and 2020. According to the center, RAMa’s opponents have “denounced this reform as aimed at enabling the government to take control of the judiciary.” They also claim that OSF was involved in the distribution of some of the $60 million that USAID spent on judicial reform in Albania from 2000 to 2015.
AWN Digital reached out to the OSF’s Albanian and American offices many times on the claims made against the organization, but neither of them responded.
As part of Albania’s preparations to join the European Union, the group has “earmarked $600,000 to support the process to overhaul Albania’s judicial system” in 2015, according to an OSF website. The organization says “the money was used to fund a 20-strong expert panel, conduct public outreach and opinion surveys, establish a dedicated website, and organize conferences.”
It was stated by NewsNation that Alex Soros frequently visits Tirana, which he refers to as his “second home.” Posting a photo with Rama on Instagram in July 2021, Soros referred to the prime minister as his “good friend.”
“To ban [George] Soros’ political activity in Europe because he is an enemy of democracy,” Berisha reportedly requested of the United States Congress and the European Parliament eight years ago.
In a speech he gave in December, Berisha referred to the OSF as a “real national threat” and threatened to ban them from Albania, as reported by Euronews Albania. A quarter of the Albanian population has left the country, according to Berisha, since the Rama administration squandered money and did little to alleviate poverty.
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s announcement of penalties against Berisha, his wife, and their children in May 2021 is another obstacle to Berisha’s run. Blinken claimed that Berisha was “involved in corrupt acts, such as misappropriation of public funds and interfering with public processes, including using his power for his own benefit and to enrich his political allies and his family members at the expense of the Albanian public’s confidence in their government institutions and public officials.”
George Soros and Rama, according to Berisha, were “entirely based on corrupted lobbying” in their decision to censure him. Furthermore, he stated that the U.S. Embassy in Tirana was “turned into a huge prosecutorial office” by officials of the Biden administration, who pushed for the disenfranchisement of Berisha and her party among media, supporters, and businesses. He also claimed that the State Department had “asked other countries to sanction and to isolate me.”
Sanctions, according to Berisha, have hampered his effort. “Of course it hurts me, because I’m not able to meet with Albanian Americans, which are so numerous, and in this election, for the first time, they have the right to vote for the party and candidate they prefer in their country of origin.”
The State Department declined to comment on Berisha’s allegations that American corporations betrayed his supporters. When asked by AWN Digital if the sanctions on Berisha should be maintained or if they hinder Albania’s ability to hold free and fair elections, the State Department remained silent.
When asked whether former President Joe Biden’s administration had a part in turning fans against Berisha, a Biden spokeswoman did not answer.
As pointed out by Nesho, the Albanian public has opposed punishment due to a lack of proof. Politically motivated by Rama’s wealthy backers like Alex Soros, who stand to gain politically and financially from Rama’s continued rule, this appears to be a calculated maneuver.”Remove this ban immediately,” Nesho said of the Trump administration. It goes against democratic and justice principles and is inciting anti-American sentiment, he continued.