Since the start of the Flamingo Revolution, something has changed in Albania. People have started to speak more openly and criticize more strongly. It is not only the fact that people are protesting that is important. It is also the fact that the threshold of what Albanians consider acceptable by the state is changing. What is happening is more than a protest against a government. It is a sign of a crisis in the relationship between the citizen and the state. After thirteen years, this government is facing a balance sheet that can no longer be covered only with the narrative of power. Corruption. Concentration of power. Weakening of control mechanisms. Concreteization of territory.
A governance model that favors a few people at the expense of the public interest. All of this has created a dissatisfaction that goes beyond the politics of the day. For many Albanians, the state is not seen as a guarantor of justice and well-being. It resembles a mechanism that decides, builds and controls without accountability. The government can win elections. But it cannot win the trust of citizens forever. A political mandate is not a license to govern without accountability. Democracy does not begin and does not end on voting day. It continues the day when the citizen demands accountability. Institutions are not the property of the government, but its border. Therefore, the protest goes beyond the usual clash between the government and the opposition.
Today, a part of society no longer accepts to choose only between the two Siamese twins of politics. This should not be seen as apathy. It is a sign of another demand. Not simply to change the name of the one who governs, but to change the very way in which it is governed.
This is the challenge of our time. Albania doesn't just need another government. It needs another state.
A state where the law is above power. Where institutions are stronger than individuals. Where power is checked even when it is strong. Where development is not measured by the number of floors, but by the quality of life. Where young Albanians do not see their future only abroad.
In this model of governance, success has also become part of the narrative of power. International rankings are selectively heralded as evidence of a progressing Albania, while indicators that paint a different picture rarely receive the same attention. But a democratic state is not measured solely by its rankings.
A cybersecurity ranking cannot be used as a measure of democracy, transparency, or quality of life. A government cannot just pick and choose the indicators it looks good on and present them as proof of the state's overall success.
The problem is not just the decision, but the way the decision is made. Territorial reform is an example of this way of governance: it is decided from above and consulted from below after the decision is made.
The aspiration for a New Albania requires more than a protest. It requires an organized citizenry, independent institutions, and a new political culture. Only strong democratic institutions can change a country.
The most important political divide of our time is not just between left and right. Nor between one party and another. It is a division over how power and public service are conceived.
It is the division between those who see power as a service to the citizen and those who see the state as an instrument in service of themselves and their faction.
This is the most important thing that has happened in these protests. Albanians have not just found a reason to protest. They have found their voice.
The problem is not just who has power. The problem is what limitations power has when it takes it.
Albanians should not just demand a change of government. They should demand that the next government not have the opportunity to govern like the current government.
In a democratic republic, the state is not the property of the government. The government is a temporary mandate to serve the citizen and the Republic. Therefore, today's battle is not only for the next government.
It is for the future of the Republic.
