The opposition democrats' podium stopped this Tuesday at Unit 4, Tirana, where the leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, held a conversation with the supporters present.
Berisha initially focused on the emigration of young people to the country, stating that "the UN sees Albanians as a disappearing nation."
"Friends, from 2014 to 2023, only in the European space, in Schengen, 1 million 100 thousand Albanians have emigrated. Of which about 700 thousand are young. So, they grow up in Albania, but they cannot build the Albanian dream in Albania. They take the roads of Europe, the roads of the world to build their dream. And we are decreasing, decreasing, decreasing. To what extent? We are decreasing to such an extent that everyone, from the United Nations and every other institute that deals with demography, sees Albanians as a disappearing nation. As a nation that today has given birth to the number of children that were born 100 years ago. When they were registered at 700 thousand. Albanians from 2018 to today, are lost, thousands and thousands of citizens are separated from life more than they are born ," he said.
Likewise, the leading democrat said that the country has been emptied in the last 10 years as a result of the loss of hope. As Berisha says, at least 49% of Albania is "on the brink of poverty."
"In 10 years, like never before and like no other country, we have aged 10 years. Our average age has increased by 10 years. In 10 years, the country has been emptied of hope. But if in 2013 we were the best paid people, we didn't get much, but we were better paid than everyone around us, except the Greeks. Better paid than even the Bulgarians and Romanians. Today we are the worst paid. Today 49% of us are on the verge of poverty or in poverty," he said.
There was no shortage of accusations against Prime Minister Edi Rama regarding the country's governance, stating that Albania is in an " authoritarian regime".
"Now we are at a critical moment. At a critical moment of our existence. Of fulfilling our mission. Nothing will determine the fate of the Democratic Party, the fate of Albania and the Albanian nation more than fulfilling our mission. The overthrow of this regime. Dictatorships are not easy to overthrow. They are very difficult. But authoritarian dictatorships, even totalitarian ones, are overthrown only in one way: with popular revolt. Those who believe they can overthrow the dictatorship with a vote are deceiving themselves," said the chief democrat.
Berisha called on all citizens to join the national protest organized by the Democratic Party on January 24, 2026.