Ditmir Bushati: We are in politics without politicians, we need reform in the financing of the media and parties
2026-02-25 15:28:46
TiranaPost
Former Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati has reacted with critical tones to the state of politics in the country, emphasizing that, according to him, “unfortunately, we have been reduced to politics without politicians”. In an interview with journalist Mentor Kikia, Bushati spoke about the way political parties function today and the issue of their financing. He stated that it is increasingly difficult for young people to engage in a political force based on idealism, adding that involvement often occurs for short-term and personal interests.
Bushati also emphasized that Albania will face two important reforms within the framework of the European Union integration process, related to politics and the media. According to him, undertaking these reforms is necessary, but will be accompanied by personal costs for anyone who undertakes to advance them.
Ditmir Bushati: We suffer from a lack of political activism, which is like the work of blood circulation in the veins for a political party and for a society. Unfortunately, a good part of people tend to join a political party for narrow personal goals, and not for the implementation of certain ideas. In countries that have consolidated democracies, it is very easy to make the difference between a social democrat, a liberal democrat, or a Christian democrat or a conservative… in 60 seconds a young person, or a member of any of the families, identifies himself because of the values he believes in and because of the issues that are of interest to him.
We are a fragile democracy, we have our fluctuations. There have been moments when our political parties in Albania have had a relatively healthy life. Just as there have been dark moments. But this must be seen in the entire institutional ecosystem. Political parties cannot be seen in isolation from the rest of the institutions and the rest of society. Unfortunately, we have a RULE in certain positions, not just in political parties, but also in state institutions, academic institutions, the world of sports and so on.
Mentor Kikia: Besides having lifelong presidents, it is difficult to identify the second in line. Can the law that will have to dictate the electoral process create space for people who have ambitions to breathe through competition?
Ditmir Bushati: The law itself on political parties is important, but it is not everything. We need to reflect on our political history. We have often discussed Italy about why there were fragile governments and there were parties of a certain coalition. Because it was a decision of the political class not to repeat power in strong hands. The same thing was in Germany for a system with control. We in Albania, unfortunately, have not learned this lesson. Every time we have made corrections to political parties and the electoral system, we have had in mind the power of the leader and not the whole body. And here is the origin of the change in political culture in Albania. This is one of the reasons why today we have unfortunately been reduced to a politics without politicians. Today it is difficult in our main parties to identify groups, because factions is a big word that have a certain opinion. For example, the former SP had a group of professors, a group of people who came from the Labor Party, and a group of Eurosocialists, which was a very big democratic spark for a party that came from a history with a dark past. And in the DP we have seen different groups with different faces. I don't think that these groups had a knife-edge from an ideological or programmatic point of view, they still created an internal dynamic, and in it, sometimes the sense of democracy and collective responsibility triumphed, with great difficulties that are not discussed due to the lack of tradition, and sometimes the UNI of the party leader triumphed. Today, unfortunately, we are in a situation where we rarely discuss these topics that we talk about.
Mentor Kikia: A debated issue is the lack of transparency in funding and why there is a law that forces parties to do this. How much does suspicious funding from various companies affect tomorrow's corruption?
Ditmir Bushati: You said it about companies. Unfortunately, Albania has a serious problem with the financing of politics in general and the penetration of money that comes from corruption or the dark world of crime or illegal activities. Part of the dark financing of politics I also consider a comprehensive reform in the media. There are two components that are also important in Albania's membership in the EU. Any government or group of politicians that would undertake these two reforms that are a necessity for the country but also a condition for membership in the EU, I think would risk a lot from the point of view of their political career, but it is a necessity. But the way in which political life and the media are financed, especially in the last decade and a half, is very problematic and does not create opportunities for a normal political terrain where at the end of the day citizens are given the opportunity to vote after a relatively fair and honest competition.
