Together We Win
Together We Win Bashkë Fitojmë | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | BF |
| Leader | Ilir Meta (legal coalition leader) Sali Berisha (political/de facto leader) |
| Spokesperson | Ilir Meta Sali Berisha |
| Founded | 15 March 2023 |
| Preceded by | House of Freedom |
| Succeeded by | Alliance for a Magnificent Albania |
| Headquarters | Tirana, Albania |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| Colours | |
| Slogan | Ndryshimi në duart e tua ("Change is in your hands") |
| Mayors | 6 / 61 |
| Municipal council seats | 291 / 1,613 |
| Website | |
| pdsh | |
 |
|---|
 Albania |
Together We Win (Albanian: Bashkë Fitojmë, BF) was an Albanian opposition electoral coalition created for the 2023 Albanian local elections. It was formally registered by the Central Election Commission of Albania as a coalition of the Freedom Party (PL), the Demochristian Party of Albania (PDK) and the Unity for Human Rights Party (PBDNJ).[1] Politically, however, it functioned as the main electoral vehicle of the opposition faction of the Democratic Party of Albania aligned with former president and prime minister Sali Berisha, which was unable to register the party name in the election because of the continuing leadership dispute within the Democratic Party.[2]
The coalition was jointly associated with Berisha and former president Ilir Meta, leader of the Freedom Party. It represented the continuation of the opposition cooperation first tested in the 2022 partial local elections under the name House of Freedom (Albanian: Shtëpia e Lirisë).[3] In the 2023 local elections, Together We Win won seven mayoral races and 291 municipal-council seats. Its elected mayor of Himarë, Fredis Beleris, did not take office after being convicted in an election-corruption case; following the invalidation of his mandate and a 2024 by-election won by the Socialist Party of Albania, the coalition's effective number of mayors fell to six.[4][5]
Background
[edit]Democratic Party split
[edit]The creation of Together We Win was closely connected to the internal crisis of the Democratic Party of Albania (PD) after the 2021 Albanian parliamentary election. In May 2021, the United States Department of State publicly designated Sali Berisha and members of his immediate family as ineligible for entry into the United States, citing alleged involvement in significant corruption during his time in office.[6] The PD chairman Lulzim Basha subsequently suspended Berisha from the Democratic Party's parliamentary group, a decision that triggered a severe internal conflict between supporters of Basha and supporters of Berisha.
By early 2022, the split had become both organizational and electoral. Freedom House noted that Basha expelled Berisha from the party in January 2022 and that Berisha supporters attempted to storm the Democratic Party headquarters, after which Basha resigned in March 2022 and Berisha later reasserted control over a major part of the party organization.[7] The legal and electoral dispute over which faction could represent the Democratic Party continued during the 2023 local-election cycle.
House of Freedom
[edit]The immediate predecessor of Together We Win was the House of Freedom coalition, which contested the 6 March 2022 partial local elections in six municipalities. The coalition brought together the Socialist Movement for Integration (later renamed the Freedom Party), the Demochristian Party and candidates associated with Berisha's Democratic Party supporters.[3] The election was the first major test of the post-2021 opposition split, as candidates backed by Berisha competed separately from candidates of the Basha-led Democratic Party.
In the 2022 partial local elections, the House of Freedom candidate Bardh Spahia won the mayoral race in Shkodër, while the Socialist Party of Albania won the other five municipalities. Media and observers treated the result as an indication that the Berisha-aligned Democratic Party faction had more electoral support than the official PD candidates in the municipalities where both ran, even though the ruling Socialists remained the dominant force overall.[8]
Formation
[edit]On 27 October 2022, Berisha and Meta announced opposition cooperation for the 2023 local elections, framing it as a joint front against the Socialist government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.[9] The coalition was later registered under the name Bashkë Fitojmë.
The registration process was complicated by the Democratic Party's legal dispute. On 18 March 2023, the State Election Commissioner registered Together We Win as a coalition composed of PL, PDK and PBDNJ, but did not register Berisha's Democratic Party faction as a member of the coalition. The Commission stated that the officially registered Democratic Party had not expressed a will to join the coalition and separately registered the PD led by acting chairman Enkelejd Alibeaj as an electoral subject.[1][2] This produced an unusual electoral arrangement: the coalition's legal leading party was the Freedom Party, while many of its most visible candidates and campaign figures came from the Berisha-aligned Democratic Party faction.
The coalition used the slogan Ndryshimi në duart e tua ("Change is in your hands") and campaigned on opposition to the long-ruling Socialist Party, local-government accountability, lower taxes and fees, municipal-service reform, protection of property rights, and criticism of emigration, corruption and state-resource misuse. In major municipalities, its nominees included prominent Democratic Party figures such as Belind Këlliçi in Tirana, Igli Cara in Durrës, Luciano Boçi in Elbasan and Bardh Spahia in Shkodër.
Leadership and legal status
[edit]Together We Win had a dual leadership character. Formally, because the coalition was registered by the Freedom Party, PDK and PBDNJ, electoral authorities treated Ilir Meta as the head of the leading party for legal and ballot purposes. Politically, Sali Berisha was the coalition's most prominent campaign figure and was widely described by candidates and media as its de facto leader.
This ambiguity produced a dispute over the ballot. The coalition requested that the name of Sali Berisha appear next to the coalition name on ballots, while the Democratic Party registered by Enkelejd Alibeaj objected. In April 2023, the Electoral College considered disputes over whether the coalition's ballot description should include Berisha or the name of the legal party leader. Court documents show that the coalition sought to place Berisha's name next to Bashkë Fitojmë, while the Commission on Complaints and Sanctions had decided that the name of Ilir Meta, as leader of the leading party, should appear instead.[10]
Member organizations
[edit]Registered coalition members
[edit]The following parties were registered by the Central Election Commission as the formal member parties of the coalition for the 2023 local elections:[1]
| Party | Acronym | Leader at the time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Party of Albania | PL | Ilir Meta | Legal leading party of the coalition |
| Demochristian Party of Albania | PDK | Nard Ndoka | Coalition member |
| Unity for Human Rights Party | PBDNJ | Vangjel Dule | Coalition member; the party was particularly visible in the Himarë race |
Political support and candidates
[edit]Although not formally registered as a member of the coalition, the Berisha-aligned faction of the Democratic Party of Albania was the coalition's principal political force in most municipalities. Its candidates ran under the Together We Win label because the official Democratic Party was registered separately under acting chairman Enkelejd Alibeaj.[1][2]
Several other centre-right or opposition parties cooperated with Berisha's faction during the campaign, but some of them presented separate municipal-council lists rather than being formal members of the Together We Win coalition. This distinction was important because Albanian local elections used separate ballots for mayors and municipal councils, and smaller parties often endorsed a coalition's mayoral candidate while competing independently for council seats.
2023 local elections
[edit]Campaign
[edit]Together We Win contested the 14 May 2023 local elections during a period of intense polarization and opposition fragmentation. The campaign was shaped by three overlapping conflicts: the opposition's challenge to the Socialist Party's control of most municipalities, the internal Democratic Party dispute, and broader allegations over misuse of state resources, patronage and vote-buying in Albanian elections.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) described the 2023 local elections as generally well-administered and competitive, but also reported that the process was characterized by continued polarization, deep division within the opposition, concerns about misuse of state resources, pressure on public-sector workers and voters, allegations of vote buying, party interference, group voting and problems with ballot secrecy.[11]
Together We Win presented itself as the unified opposition alternative, while the Socialist Party argued that the opposition was divided and lacked credible local-governance experience. The separate participation of the Alibeaj-led Democratic Party split the opposition vote in a number of municipalities. Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung described the election as a contest in which the Socialist Party won most mayoral posts, while Berisha and Meta's coalition won only a limited number of smaller municipalities and the official Democratic Party failed to win any mayoral race.[12]
Results
[edit]In the official final results reported after certification, the Socialist Party of Albania won 53 of 61 municipalities, Together We Win won 7, and the Greek-minority party MEGA won Finiq. In the municipal-council vote, the Socialist Party won 43.11 per cent nationwide, Together We Win won 18.44 per cent, and the official Democratic Party won 7.71 per cent.[4] Together We Win won 291 municipal-council seats out of 1,613.
The coalition's result was mixed. It became the largest opposition force in the 2023 local elections and outperformed the official Democratic Party by a wide margin, confirming the electoral weight of the Berisha-aligned faction within the opposition. At the same time, it failed to threaten Socialist control of most large municipalities, losing in Tirana, Durrës, Elbasan, Shkodër and most urban centres.
Municipalities won
[edit]Together We Win won the following mayoral contests in the 2023 local elections:[4]
| Municipality | County | Elected mayor | Party/factional affiliation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fushë-Arrëz | Shkodër County | Hilë Curri | Berisha-aligned Democratic Party / BF | — |
| Has | Kukës County | Miftar Dauti | Berisha-aligned Democratic Party / BF | — |
| Himarë | Vlorë County | Fredis Beleris | PBDNJ / BF | Elected but not sworn in; mandate later invalidated and a 2024 by-election was won by the Socialist Party.[5] |
| Kavajë | Tirana County | Fisnik Qosja | Berisha-aligned Democratic Party / BF | — |
| Memaliaj | Gjirokastër County | Albert Malaj | Berisha-aligned Democratic Party / BF | — |
| Mirditë | Lezhë County | Albert Mëlyshi | Berisha-aligned Democratic Party / BF | — |
| Pukë | Shkodër County | Rrok Dodaj | Berisha-aligned Democratic Party / BF | — |
Himarë case
[edit]The most internationally visible contest involving Together We Win was the mayoral race in Himarë. The coalition's candidate, Fredis Beleris, an ethnic Greek politician associated with PBDNJ, was arrested shortly before election day on accusations of vote buying. Despite the arrest, he narrowly won the election. The case created a diplomatic dispute between Albania and Greece, with Greek officials arguing that the handling of the case affected minority rights and Albania's European integration process, while Albanian authorities insisted that the judiciary was acting independently.
Beleris was later convicted and sentenced to prison. In 2024, Albania's Central Election Commission declared his mayoral mandate invalid, and a repeat mayoral election was held in Himarë. The Socialist candidate Vangjel Tavo won that by-election, reducing the effective number of Together We Win mayors from seven to six.[5][13]
Disputes and criticism
[edit]Ballot-name dispute
[edit]The coalition challenged the way its name and leadership were represented on ballots, arguing that voters associated the coalition with Berisha and that his name should appear next to the coalition label. The dispute was rejected in the electoral-administration process and became part of litigation before the Electoral College. The case illustrated the legal consequences of the Democratic Party split: Berisha was the coalition's political leader, but the registered coalition was legally led by the Freedom Party and could not use the official Democratic Party name.[10]
Opposition fragmentation
[edit]The coalition criticized the separate registration of the Alibeaj-led Democratic Party, claiming that it confused opposition voters and helped the Socialist Party. Observers, however, treated the existence of two Democratic Party-linked electoral formations as a consequence of the unresolved internal party dispute. ODIHR identified the deep division within the opposition as one of the defining features of the 2023 local elections.[11]
Election-administration and misuse-of-resources allegations
[edit]Together We Win and other opposition actors alleged vote-buying, intimidation, misuse of state resources and unfair use of public administration by the ruling Socialist Party. ODIHR did not validate all partisan claims, but it did report concerns about misuse of state resources, pressure on public-sector workers and voters, and allegations of vote buying, and recommended stronger investigations into electoral violations and safeguards against intimidation, group voting and proxy voting.[11]
Aftermath
[edit]After the local elections, Together We Win remained the main municipal-election label associated with the Berisha–Meta opposition bloc, but it did not develop into a permanent party. The outcome strengthened Berisha's claim to leadership of most of the Democratic Party electorate, because Together We Win significantly outperformed the Alibeaj-led Democratic Party in the municipal-council vote. It also revealed the limits of the opposition alliance, since the Socialists retained a large majority of mayoralties and most major urban municipalities.
In 2024, the legal dispute over the Democratic Party was largely resolved in favour of Berisha's faction, allowing Berisha to again use the official Democratic Party brand in national politics. For the 2025 Albanian parliamentary election, the Democratic Party and its allies formed a broader electoral coalition named Alliance for a Magnificent Albania (Albanian: Aleanca për Shqipërinë Madhështore), which replaced Together We Win as the main Berisha-led opposition electoral vehicle.[14][15]
Election results
[edit]Local elections
[edit]| Election | Electoral name | Main leaders | Mayors | Municipal councils | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | ||||
| 2022 partial | House of Freedom Shtëpia e Lirisë |
Sali Berisha Ilir Meta |
— | — | 1 / 6 |
Not contested | Predecessor coalition; won Shkodër | ||
| 2023 | Together We Win Bashkë Fitojmë |
Ilir Meta (legal) Sali Berisha (political) |
— | — | 7 / 61 |
247,883 | 18.44% | 291 / 1,613 |
One mayoral mandate, Himarë, was later invalidated and lost in a 2024 by-election |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Zgjedhjet vendore 2023 – Rregjistrohen si subjekte zgjedhore "Partia Demokratike" dhe dy koalicione". Komisioni Qendror i Zgjedhjeve (in Albanian). 18 March 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "KQZ regjistron koalicionin "Bashkë Fitojmë", por pa Berishën". A2 CNN (in Albanian). 18 March 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Local by-elections in Albania, 6 March 2022". Council of Europe. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Cuka, Fatjon (7 August 2023). "Shqipëri, shpallet rezultati përfundimtar i zgjedhjeve vendore". Anadolu Agency (in Albanian). Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Albania's governing Socialist Party wins mayoral poll in a town with ethnic Greek minority". Associated Press. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ "Public Designation of Albanian Sali Berisha Due to Involvement in Significant Corruption". U.S. Department of State. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ "Albania: Freedom in the World 2023 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ "Zgjedhjet e pjesshme lokale/ PS merr bashkinë e Vorës!". Top Channel (in Albanian). 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ Semini, Llazar (27 October 2022). "Albania Opposition Parties Join Forces for 2023 Local Elections". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Vendimi nr. 13, datë 21.04.2023, Koalicioni "Bashkë Fitojmë"" (PDF). Kolegji Zgjedhor Gjyqësor (in Albanian). 21 April 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Albania's 2023 local elections: ODIHR election observation mission final report". OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ "Local elections in Albania". Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ "Albania citizens vote for new mayor after previous winner convicted of election corruption". JURIST. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ ""Aleanca për Shqipërinë Madhështore", PD shkon në zgjedhje me 25 parti të tjera". Newsbomb (in Albanian). 3 March 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ ""Aleanca për Shqipërinë Madhështore", PD dorëzon në KQZ koalicionin me 26 parti". Euronews Albania (in Albanian). Retrieved 7 July 2026.
