Protests, political alternatives and the Albanian kingdom

2026-06-29 15:04:00, Opinione Ekrem Spahiu

It's been almost a month and the civic protest continues to be consistent and
persistent in its demands. Essentially, it is a movement that represents the great dissatisfaction
accumulated over 36 years against the political establishment that is keeping Albania in bondage.

It is precisely this essence that invites me to evoke the visionary prediction of King Leka I regarding this
establishment and his referendum efforts to present the Albanian people with the best alternative
, with the conviction that a kingdom conveys values ??such as: democracy, justice, loyalty, honor,
responsibility, order, wisdom in leadership, unity and protection of the people - qualities that
are lacking in Albania's 36-year-old political establishment.

On June 28, 2002, the Albanian Royal Family finally returned to their homeland after 63 years of
forced exile in various countries around the world with all the appropriate honors, as
they deserved, not simply for the extraordinary contributions they had made to the Albanian state and nation, but also for the future of Albanians.

Although the communist dictatorship fell as a regime in the spring of 1991 and
a democratic system began to emerge in Albania, the Albanian Royal Family was still not allowed to return to their homeland
by the rulers of the time, with the absurd justification of maintaining in force the decision of the
communist leadership at the Congress of Përmet, of May 24, 1944, where "... King Zog and the Royal Family were forbidden
from returning to Albania."

But the real reason was hidden elsewhere: the personality of King Leka could change many
things on the political scene, and could even overturn the status quo of the establishment. It was clearly visible
both in the public articulations of the political class of the time, and in the general spirit that
ruled and controlled the media. In the early 1990s, even the political activity of the Legality Party was not allowed
in the homeland. The approval of the PLL took place about 15 months after the permission of
political parties in the country.

2. Today, after so many years, the return of the Albanian Royal Family may seem like
a natural process without any particular burden, but it has not been easy at all.

***

King Leka, who had fled Albania as a two-day-old baby on April 7, 1939, from the
fascist occupation and who had dedicated his entire life to the homeland and the nation. With the fall of the dictatorship, in
coordination and with the support of important international factors, also interested in
testing democracy in Albania, King Leka decided, at the most opportune moment, to
return to the Homeland.

The 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Organization of the
Legality Movement at the Zall-Herr Congress, held on November 21, 1993, was considered an opportune occasion. In this context, he
came to Albania on November 19, 1993.
The news of the King's arrival in Tirana spread immediately throughout the country. Thousands of royals,
from all over, traveled all night and, in the early hours of the morning, would await him in front of the

Hotel "Dajti" and along the boulevard to the Palace of Congresses.
However, senior officials of SHIK and the State Police, alarmed by the
extraordinary interest of the royals in meeting with the King, go to the hotel two-three hours after
midnight and ask them to leave Albania, due to "problems" with "
travel documents and personal weapons".

King Leka I, to avoid any possible clash between the royals and the police,
respects the "request" of state officials and, at 08:30, leaves the hotel, heads for Rinas
and leaves the homeland. It was the second traumatic departure after the one of April 7, 1939.

***

In 1997, at a very difficult moment for Albania and the Albanian people, the
political parties, in the agreement of March 9, 1997, in order to benefit from the credibility that the King had from
the south to the north of the country (the socialists could not go to the north, while the democrats could not
go to the south), allowed “the return of King Leka I to his homeland”, and even “the holding of
a referendum on the form of the regime”. The King arrived in Albania for the second time on April 12,
1997, with the same travel documents as in 1993.

Referendumi u zhvillua më 29 qershor 1997, në të njëjtën ditë me zgjedhjet parlamentare. Mbreti
zhvilloi një fushatë shumë dinjitoze në mbarë vendin dhe realisht alternativa mbretërore doli
fitimtare në atë referendum. Por klasa politike e kohës, e befasuar nga rezultati surprizë, urdhëroi
KQZ-në të mos shpallte fitoren e Monarkisë dhe të zgjaste procesin e numërimit deri sa të fitonte
kohë për manipulim votash.
Të tronditur nga tjetërsimi i votave, mbështetësit e Mbretit dhe të Monarkisë vërshuan në një
tubim-proteste në sheshin “Skënderbej” dhe përgjatë bulevardit “Dëshmorët e Kombit”. Policia
ndërhyri me armë për të shpërndarë protestuesit, duke vrarë njërin prej tyre dhe plagosur shumë
të tjerë. Prokuroria urdhërohet të nisë hetimet, duke e akuzuar Mbretin Leka “Për organizim e
grumbullim të manifestimit të paligjshëm për rrëzimin e rendit kushtetues dhe armëmbajtje pa
leje”.
Mbreti Leka, për të evituar konfliktet e provokacionet, detyrohet të largohet përsëri nga atdheu
më 12 korrik 1997, me premtimin se ishte i gatshëm të kthehej në momentin që do ta kërkonte
populli shqiptar.

***

Me qëllim rivendosjen e nderit dhe institucionalitetit të Mbretit, më 04.06.1998 Partia “Lëvizja e
Legalitetit” bëri të mundur hartimin dhe firmosjen e një rezolute nga kryetarët e të gjitha partive
(të djathta dhe qendrës së djathtë) opozitare parlamentare dhe joparlamentare ku, ndër të tjera, u
kërkua: “...i bëjmë thirrje Mbretit Leka I për t’u kthyer në atdhe, pasi edhe procesi gjyqësor i
ngritur ndaj tij është një farsë politike e koalicionit të majtë”.

Periudha më e favorshme për ta realizuar kthimin e Familjes Mbretërore në atdhe ishin vitet
2001-2005 kur Partia “Lëvizja e Legalitetit” ishte në pikun e fuqisë së saj politike dhe me një
kredibilitet të madh në elektorat, jo thjeshtë se ishte parti parlamentare, por sidomos të
qendrimeve institucionale të mbajtura dhe kompaktësisë së grupit parlamentar. Me nismën e
grupit parlamentar të kësaj partie, në pranverën e vitit 2002, filloi përgatitja e infrastrukturës së
duhur institucionale për kthimin e Familjes Mbretërore në atdhe.

Pas një lobimi të fuqishëm me
drejtuesit e partive parlamentare, u arrit një marrëveshje politike ku kryetarët e 9 grupeve
parlamentare të Kuvendit të Shqipërisë, më 17 qershor 2002, firmosën një dokument të
përbashkët, në të cilin, ndër të tjera, shkruhej: “Duke respektuar Familjen Mbretërore Shqiptare,Jemi të bindur se respektojmë themelimin e shtetit modern shqiptar nga Mbreti Zog I. Me kthimin e Familjes Mbretërore në atdhe, merr fund një padrejtësi e shkaktuar nga pushtimi
fashist dhe diktatura komuniste”.

4. The statement of the parliamentary groups was accompanied by the request of 74 signatory deputies (out of 140 in the Assembly), which requested: " We, the deputies of the Assembly of Albania, based on
the appreciation we have for the history of the Albanian State and its legal continuity, as well as on
today's democratic developments, present our request that Queen Mother Geraldine and
the Albanian Royal Family come and live forever in Albania."

Thus, King Leka and the entire Royal Family were able to return to Albania on
June 28, 2002. Since the early hours of the morning, thousands of legalists and
various citizens from all districts of Albania and Albanian territories had arrived in Tirana, who welcomed the third arrival of the King and the Royal Family to Rinas as a national holiday.

King Leka, as soon as he landed in Rinas, told numerous media outlets: "I want to thank the
Albanian people, the Albanian state that gave us this opportunity to return to our homeland."

Thus, after 63 years of forced exile in various countries around the world, the
Albanian Royal Family finally returned to their homeland with all the due honors, as they
deserved, both for the extraordinary contributions they had made to the Albanian state and nation,
and as a credible alternative for the future of Albanians.

Even though many years have passed, in my capacity as a former MP and group leader, but also as a former
president of the Legality Movement Party, I take this opportunity to congratulate all the signatory MPs for
that political and human act, as well as all the supporters and supporters of the Kingdom for
keeping the royal ideal alive and for the magnificent reception they gave King Leka I.

It was a saga of noble efforts by all actors associated with the Monarchy, the King himself in
the first place, to be close to the Albanian nation and to present to the Albanian people an
alternative that had proven itself and which the Albanian people still highly value today after nearly
a century.