English
The victory of DUI candidate Arkin Yahiyi in the second round of the local elections in Brvenica served as an occasion for party leader Ali Ahmeti to ramp up the nationalist rhetoric regarding the place and role of Albanians in Macedonia, as well as the political relations within the country. During the post-election victory celebration, Ahmeti stated that Macedonia belongs neither to the current Prime Minister, Hristijan Mickoski, nor to former Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski; rather, it is the homeland of the Albanians, whom he described as an autochthonous population.
“Macedonia belongs neither to Hristijan nor to Branko Crvenkovski. Macedonia is the homeland of the Albanians, who are autochthonous and have never been oppressed by anyone—in fact, it was others who were oppressed by us. We are state-builders, and we are the masters of this land,” declared Ahmeti.
He sought support for these views, emphasizing that the DUI assumes responsibility for steering the country’s political processes. Referring to the election results in Brvenica, Ahmeti noted that the municipality has an Albanian population of approximately 65 percent and that its citizens deserve an Albanian mayor. At the same time, he thanked everyone who voted for Yahiyi and criticized statements by Macedonian politicians that linked the DUI candidate to crime.
“As party leaders, we cannot act as prosecutors,” Ahmeti said, adding that such rhetoric does not contribute to coexistence. He expressed hope that there would be greater communication and closer ties between the communities in the future.
Yahiyi electoral victory was also supported by several Albanian political actors, including the VLEN coalition, which is part of the ruling coalition and is normally opposed to DUI, and the president of the Alliance for Albanians, Arben Taravari.
One of the leaders of VLEN Izet Mexhiti, confirmed that the coalition supports the DUI candidate. Previously, on October 28, Bilal Kasami also announced that Vredi’s political stance was to support Jahidji, though he noted that support from voters would also depend on DUI’s conduct. Arben Taravari also publicly expressed his support for the DUI candidate. On October 19, he urged Albanian parties to vote for Yahiyi, describing him as an honest and dedicated individual who respects the Albanian people. Previously, while appearing on a TV show Taravari proposed that VLEN and the Alliance for Albanians jointly support the DUI candidate, without separate party campaigns or banners in the second round.
Meanwhile, photos published on social media accounts showed groups of Albanian men living in Western Europe flying to Macedonia for the elections. DUI apparently organized and paid for the flights to take hundreds of emigrants from the region of Brvenica on election day, to swing the vote.