English
The DUI led Albanian coalition has determined which of its parties will compete in the main Albanian majority cities, Kurir has reported. DUI is staking it all on a comeback in the local elections against its chief rival VLEN, hoping that a win will help them push for a place in the Government or for early general elections.
According to this plan, former Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani will lead the DUI ticket in Cair. The party is hoping that recent allegations from Skopje Mayor Danela Arsovska against incumbent Cair Mayor Visar Ganiu will help Osmani will in the only urban Skopje area that is majority Albanian. DUI will nominate Bajram Rexhepi as its mayoral candidate in Tetovo, Erkan Arifi in Lipkovo and Alija Jahoski in Plasnica, which is dominated by troubled DUI member of Parliament Ismail Jahoski.
The divided Alliance party, whose warring factions are led by Zijadin Sela and Arben Taravari, will have its two rival leaders compete in Struga and Gostivar. Sela is formally in coalition with DUI, while Taravari still hasn’t made the move, but it’s expected that he’ll try to get himself re-elected to this position with the help of DUI, against a VLEN candidate who will likely be supported by the ethnic Macedonians in the city.
There is still no word on who will DUI nominate in Kicevo, where they hold city hall through former UCK commander Fatmir Dehari, and will likely face a strong VMRO candidate.
