English
Faced with eroding popularity in the public and criminal charges, Ali Ahmeti’s DUI party is again heightening the rhetoric. As of today, activists of the party are massively sharing a video of Ahmeti in military fatigues, from the 2001 civil war that he sparked, coupled with belligerent rhetoric.
I come from the people, I come from your flock. Give me the sword and see me wield it. I’ve never lost a war because my soldiers gave me the sword, Ahmeti says in the video.
DUI dropped below its chief rival VLEN in the latest polls, and Ahmeti’s heir apparent Artan Grubi fled to Kosovo to escape arrest after a major corruption investigation.
DUI is a read book, and their rhetoric has already been seen. Our fellow citizens – Albanians – will not fall for DUI’s rhetoric, because they know that this party only cares about protecting its official from criminal investigations. They know that over the past 22 years in power, the top DUI officials enjoyed privileges and wealth while ordinary Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Roma.. were forced to leave the country to make a living. That is why their latest rhetorical attempts to create political tensions and inter-ethnic hostility will not fly, said VMRO-DPMNE in a statement.
VLEN also issued a statement condemning DUI. “This is the first party that, with its crime and corruption, is distancing the Albanians from our Western strategic partners. The desperate attempts of DUI officials to slander the members of the Government are driving Macedonia away from the path of becoming an equal and stable state. Artan Grubi and Ramiz Merko are on the US black list for demolishing the rule of law, and the party officials are visiting the State Department website every day to see if more of them have been put on the list, said VLEN in a statement.
Even SDSM, which let DUI practically run the Government over the past several years, sought to distance itself from Ahmeti’s party.
SDSM will never again allow to be placed at a same or subordinate level to any other party, especially not DUI. The corruptive stigma that this party has bore for years is something that we are clearly and undoubtebly distancing ourselves from. Their rhetoric and constant raising of ethnic tensions as a tool of political action is unacceptable and dangerous, said SDSM leader Venko Filipce.
