Vučić's fall awakens the socialists, is the battle for an SP without Rama opening?

Aleksandar Vučić's defeat in Serbia has sparked reactions in Albanian politics, but attention has not focused solely on the victory of the student movement and the end of the Serbian leader's long dominance.

Apparently, within the Socialist Party, well-known figures from this camp have chosen to speak about powers that are not eternal, about the control of institutions and the need for change. Messages that, beyond the developments in Belgrade, can also be read in the context of the debate about the future of the SP and its leadership after Edi Rama.

Pandeli Majko, Ditmir Bushati, Elisa Spiropali and Erion Veliaj have reacted in different ways to the result in Serbia.

Although none of them openly states that an organized competition is starting within the SP for Rama's successor, at a time when Albania is facing student protests and criticism of the way of governance, messages about the end of consolidated powers take on a political significance that goes beyond the borders of Serbia.

Bushati links Vučić's model to Albania

The reaction of former Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati is among the most direct regarding the connection between developments in Serbia and the Albanian reality. The former minister has warned that the tactics used by Vučić to maintain power have also taken root in Albania, as he refers to clientelism, political and economic control, and the weakening of democratic mechanisms.

Bushati described the victory of the student movement as a development of historical importance and noted that an organized movement, without a large party infrastructure and without the resources of a state machine, managed to defeat a consolidated power. His message is not limited to congratulations to the Serbian students, but also contains a warning about how power can be concentrated and used to protect the interests of a narrow group.

At this point, Bushati's reaction touches on one of the most sensitive debates in Albanian politics: how much space is there for internal competition, institutional control, and political renewal within a party that has been led for years by the same leader?

Spiropali and the message about powers that are not eternal

Elisa Spiropali also focused on the political lesson that, according to her, comes from the elections in Serbia. She wrote that citizens have the opportunity and the power to change the direction of their country, even in the face of governments that claim to be permanent.

At first glance, this is a reaction to developments in a neighboring country, but, given that Spiropali himself has been part of the debates about the leadership and functioning of the Socialist Party, this formulation attracts attention beyond the Serbian issue.

In recent months, she has publicly raised the need for the renewal of the SP, more internal democracy and space for the merit of the new generation. For this reason, the statement that no power is eternal cannot be completely separated from the debate on the future of the party to which she belongs.

This does not mean that Spiropali has declared an open battle for the position of leader, but in a party where Edi Rama has concentrated political leadership for years, every call for change, meritocracy, and openness of structures takes on special weight.

Majko analyzes the end of the model, Veliaj talks about the "end of a world"

Pandeli Majko has chosen a broader analysis of Vučić's defeat, focusing on the concentration of power, the combination of political and economic interests, and the weakening of institutions.

In his reaction, the former socialist prime minister emphasized that the Serbian leader retired as a political figure who had outlived his time, while at the end he wrote " As of yesterday, he no longer controls events! Now they are the ones who will control him!"  

Majko's words are not a direct statement against Rama, but his analysis raises issues that are also part of the Albanian debate about the relationship between power, institutions and economic interests. If a consolidated system can lose control in the face of citizen dissatisfaction, then even parties that seem steadfast must face the question of how stable their support is.

The most direct in the chosen symbolism was Erion Veliaj, who from his cell congratulated Serbian students on their victory over Vučić, describing him as a “Machiavellian and populist” leader. Veliaj wrote that the student movements are not “the end of the world,” but “the end of a world,” calling on citizens and policymakers to understand the expectations of the younger generation. 

In the Albanian context, this statement takes on a special significance because the student protests in Tirana have put the government in difficulty, while the demands for change and criticism of the institutions' response have become a political challenge for Rama. However, there is no public evidence that Veliaj is building an organized movement within the SP to take its leadership. Interpreting the message as a signal to the prime minister remains a political reading, not a confirmed fact.

Is the SP thinking beyond Rama?
The reactions of these four figures are not identical and do not necessarily prove the existence of a common front within the Socialist Party. Bushati has articulated criticism of the power model, Spiropali has spoken about change and the limits of political dominance, Majko has analyzed the weaknesses of the Vučić system, while Veliaj has emphasized the power of student movements.

But the fact that these messages come on the same day, after the loss of a leader who had dominated Serbian politics for years, makes them also be read in relation to the situation within the SP.

This is because Vučić's loss brings back to mind a political lesson that no power can be considered eternal and no party can indefinitely avoid the debate about its future./ Politiko.al