Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha today presented his party’s candidates in Saranda, criticizing the current state of poverty and neglect in the region.
Berisha praised Saranda’s natural and cultural beauty, calling it a “major university of freedoms and human rights” where diverse communities coexist peacefully. However, he contrasted this with the current reality, stating that Saranda has become a city of impoverished elderly, whose pensions are insufficient for basic survival.
“Saranda today is the city of old men and women who, after spending their lives and energies in this city and this region, experience the tyranny of misery,” Berisha said. He compared the current economic hardship to the “tyranny of misery” imposed during the communist era.
Berisha argued that pensions have not kept pace with rising living costs, claiming that a pension of 390,000 lekë would be necessary to maintain the 2013 standard of living, compared to the current average of 172,000 lekë. He questioned why Albanian pensioners are worse off than their counterparts in neighboring countries, attributing the disparity to government theft and mismanagement.
“Why is it that the citizen of Montenegro, who received a pension of 138,000 leks in 2013, receives 450,000 today? Why the citizen of North Macedonia, who received a pension of 130,000 leks in 2013, receives 380,000 leks today? Why the Serbian citizen, who received a pension of 135,000 leks in 2013, receives 405,000 leks today? Why them?” Berisha asked. He accused the current Prime Minister of labeling Albanian pensioners as “lazy” and stealing their deserved funds.
