Izet Mexhiti, who leads the so-called “fire faction” within the DUI party, said that the intra-party elections held today were a travesty and in violation with the statute. DUI leader Ali Ahmeti held elections meant to remove officials who sided with Mexhiti and turned against Ahmeti’s handpicked successor Artan Grubi.

I want to inform the wider public that this process is a farce. It is completely contrary to the statute and all the candidates were already selected by Ali Ahmeti. This is just cheap theater to amuse the public. We can’t say that the vote is democratic because our activists were removed from the start, even though they were founders, active members of DUI and are credited with DUI electoral victories, Mexhiti said.

He insists that the party is losing support, especially in the Polog Valley, where it lost Tetovo, considered the seat of political power for the Albanian parties in Macedonia.