Opposition leader Sali Berisha has accused the Albanian government of severely damaging the country’s cultural life over the past 12 years. Unveiling his coalition’s cultural platform, Berisha pledged to rebuild the demolished National Theatre “as it was, where it was.”
“This is the worst mafia-style attack on culture in our history,” he said. “Never before, not even under dictatorship, have institutions of art and culture been so paralysed. Our project for a Grand Albania is first and foremost inspired by culture and art.”
Berisha slammed the demolition of the theatre and the continued construction on the site despite a Constitutional Court ruling against it. “It will be rebuilt exactly as it was, in the same place. No compromise,” he vowed.
He also promised broader cultural reforms to restore what he called the “majesty” of Albania’s artistic heritage, while accusing the current government of using state power to suppress public expression.
