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Brother Taip's victory as a continuation of the Erdoganization of Albania

2023-05-29 21:08:32, Opinione Andi Bushati

Brother Taip's victory as a continuation of the Erdoganization of Albania

Analyst Andi Bushati

Edi Rama was among the few Western leaders who called on Turks to vote for Erdogan. He appealed that his vision, courage, will and hard work turned Turkey into an example for the whole world. He was among the first to congratulate the Sultan of Ankara after the victory in the runoff.

Of course, beyond the kindness for the personal friend, the electoral support that the two leaders constantly exchange with each other, the gratitude for the man who gave him the opportunity to travel by private charter, every Albanian leader would have little choice for the presidential race in Turkey. Erdogan bravely broke through the wall of the embargo on vaccines in the ghastly time of covid. It was found by the government after the earthquake disaster. So, in a way, every leader of our state would seek continuity before a plunge into the unknown.

But, regardless of Rama's personal relationship and the rais's generous gifts to us, another term of Erdogan at the head of his country is not good news for Albanians. First, on a global scale, he is an inspiration to autocrats who abandon the train of democracy as soon as it descends on the station of power. So, in this sense, the repressive model of its great counterpart within NATO becomes more acceptable to be followed by its own disciple in Tirana. But, apart from this ephemeral approach, traces of the influence of the Islamic-conservative leader's power in Albania are visible. His influence is very tangible.

They have often deviated Albania's position from that of its Western allies by voting in favor of Erdogan. The case of abstention in the Council of Europe to condemn the political imprisonment of Osman Kavala is flagrant. This is also the approach of our government, contrary to all democratic countries, to blame the Gülenists for the July 15 coup. Tirana is the only city in Europe where there is a memorial for the victims of the alleged coup d'état in whose honor ceremonies are held every year. Rama himself has accused the organization led by the imam of Pansimmlvania as dangerous and has stated that state bodies keep it under control.

This publicly articulated political line has also resulted in concrete actions that contradict the rule of law. Contrary to the conventions it has signed, Albania has violated the commitments made, to grant political asylum to those who risk serious court decisions, in countries where the rule of law does not work. The cases of teachers Harun Çelik and that of his colleague Selami Simsek, who were denied political asylum, are flagrant examples of the submission of our state to the propaganda whims of the Sultan of Ankara. They were deported, evoking strong reactions from both the UN and the Council of Europe.

Likewise, the pressures to change the leaders of our Muslim community, according to the appetites of those who feel like the caliphs of the past are scandalous. More sensitive is the case of selling or closing a number of schools of the Gülenist network, either through blackmail, or finding ridiculous technical reasons. Within the business world, there are no secrets about the cancellation of road tenders, only that they were requested by Ankara or for the alienation of ownership in large enterprises. All this has come after an arrogant threat that the Turkish president made to the Albanian parliament in January 2022: "purging Gulenists in education, health and the Muslim community is a "precondition for the continuation of the strategic partnership between the two countries".

This is the price of Erdo?an's gifts, which Albania is paying with the cost of trampling on its rule of law. For some it may seem a little. For others, some citizens who go to Turkey's prisons for dog fat may be called nothing, those students left without schools may not matter, they may not be sensitive to the violation of the principles of the secular state. But all these are signs of Erdogan's renaissance power. Rama is not copying his model only by building a regime where, although there is a vote, there is no rule of law. He is putting the state at the service of the witch hunt taking place beyond, in Anatolia. In this sense, Erdogan is one of the mirrors where we can see what is currently happening in our country. His victory is an opportunity to read our future.