LIBRA

Background and split from the Socialist Party

The party was created by Ben Blushi and Mimoza Hafizi, both of whom had been members of the Parliament of Albania for the Socialist Party. Blushi, a former minister, writer and journalist, had become one of the most prominent internal critics of Socialist Party leader and Prime Minister Edi Rama. He and Hafizi criticized the Socialist Party leadership over what they described as the lack of internal party democracy and the failure to hold party leadership elections.^[1]

Blushi left the Socialist Party in September 2016. In October 2016, he announced that his new political project would be officially launched on 1 November 2016 at the Academy of Arts in Tirana.^[2] Hafizi said that the new organization would be called Lista e Barabartë, abbreviated LIBRA, and would seek to protect the public interest by promoting equality, justice, welfare, education and free competition.^[2]

Foundation

LIBRA was formally launched on 1 November 2016. The party's name, Lista e Barabartë, means "Equal List" in Albanian. Blushi described the party as a merger of people and progressive ideas, and said that LIBRA stood for knowledge, freedom, balance and justice.^[1] He said the party would represent groups that needed greater social protection, including young people, the poor and the middle class, and would oppose social inequality, unemployment, injustice, environmental abuse and the political dominance of Albania's established parties.^[1]

The party presented itself as an alternative to Albania's dominant political forces, especially the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party. Tirana Times described LIBRA as a challenge to the mainstream parties and to the government of Edi Rama, while Blushi argued that the party would move away from the red and blue political symbolism associated with Albania's major parties.^[1]

2017 parliamentary election

LIBRA contested the 2017 Albanian parliamentary election as an independent electoral subject, with Blushi as its main public figure. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights reported that LIBRA campaigned mostly in cities, while smaller parties often relied on door-to-door activity and social media.^[3] The party campaigned in a political environment dominated by the Socialist Party, Democratic Party and Socialist Movement for Integration, and in an election held after a months-long political crisis and opposition boycott threat.^[4]

LIBRA received 19,806 votes, or approximately 1.25% of the national vote, but did not win any seats in Parliament.^[5][6] The result left the party outside Parliament after its first national election.

Blushi's resignation and later leadership

After the 2017 election, Blushi accepted responsibility for the party's failure to win representation. In January 2018, he resigned from the leadership of LIBRA and announced his withdrawal from politics.^[7] In his resignation statement, Blushi said that LIBRA had not succeeded in convincing enough voters to break away from established parties, while describing the party as clean and unconnected to corruption or criminal activity.^[7]

Following Blushi's resignation, Endri Tafani was reported as the party's new leader. Ora News reported that Tafani had been voted by the party's core body as deputy leader and would take over the leadership function after Blushi's departure.^[8]

Parliament