A statement by Pandeli Majko at the Socialist Party’s National Assembly has brought to the surface a twofold concern within the socialists: fear of possible blows from SPAK and the electoral consequences in the race for Tirana Municipality. According to the version reported from the meeting, Majko called for the party to be cleansed of people with inappropriate ties and for a genuinely winnable candidate for the capital.
Call for removals from the Socialist Party
During his speech at the Assembly, the former socialist prime minister called for the immediate removal from the Socialist Party of those individuals who, according to him, could bring political cost because of inappropriate contacts with the world of organized crime.
Majko’s message was direct and focused on the need for a “healthy” Socialist Party, at a moment when the party appears to be calculating not only the electoral battle, but also the consequences that may come from developments in the justice system.
Claim of footage in SPAK’s hands
One of the strongest elements of Majko’s intervention was his reference to the existence of 1,000 hours of footage in SPAK’s hands, which, according to him, may be compromising for certain people within the Socialist Party.
This is a claim articulated in an internal political forum and not a fact publicly explained in detail. Nevertheless, the very fact that the issue was raised in the Assembly shows the level of concern circulating within socialist ranks over what the criminal investigation may produce up to the eve of the local elections.
Fear of losing Tirana Municipality
Majko directly linked the Socialist Party’s internal situation with the electoral risk in Tirana. According to him, under the current conditions, the socialists risk losing Tirana Municipality if they do not present a serious candidacy with winning potential.
This is a politically weighty signal, as it comes from a veteran Socialist Party figure and touches precisely the most important institutional and symbolic stronghold for the ruling majority. In essence, Majko’s warning implies that the costs of scandals, investigations or questionable ties do not remain merely image issues, but can translate into a loss of local power.
Rama’s response at the Assembly
After Majko, Prime Minister Edi Rama took the floor and responded by calling his skepticism a push to make the right choices. According to reporting from the meeting, Rama hinted that the same logic would also be followed for Tirana.
Politically, Rama’s reply appears to be an attempt to keep the debate under control and not allow the alarm signals to be read as an admission of a deeper crisis within the Socialist Party. However, the statements made at the Assembly show that the issue of the candidate for Tirana and the weight of possible SPAK case files are now part of the open calculations in the socialist camp.
The debate held in the forum shows that within the Socialist Party, the discussion is not only about the name for Tirana, but also about the political burden that figures exposed to suspicions or developments in the justice system may bring.
When a warning about losing the municipality is linked to alleged footage in SPAK’s hands, the signal is not small: the problem is not presented simply as a race between candidates, but as a test of the ruling party’s ability to manage its own political cost.