Skopje, 24 March 2023 (MIA) – The Democratic Union for Integration DUI will hold a session of its central presidency on Saturday at the party's HQ in Mala Rechica. The session's agenda is expected to include discussion on the “European front”.

DUI Organization Secretary and Mayor of Saraj, Blerim Bexheti, hopes that the debate on the issues “sowing differences between the executive branch and a great portion of the party” will continue at tomorrow’s session.

“We agreed that we need to look at both reports and continue with a debate following an accountability report, which is transparency, a European value, and I expect these issues to be debated. We should see if there are results fulfilled through specific engagements and project implementation in accordance with DUI’s program, which we will propose as a point on the agenda,” Bexheti said on Friday, following the signing of the sister municipality agreement for Saraj and Chair.

A group of DUI members, called the "Fiery Group", published an open letter in late September, accusing there not being statutory bodies for two years and that party decision making has become individualistic. The letter detailed demands of an intra-party debate to overcome the situation and the leader of the party was called to use his authority to find a solution “to preserve the party's unity”.

“There is no debate, nor consultation with party bases. Staff elections turned into a privilege of Artan Grubi,” read the letter among other things. The signees, including Izet Mexhiti, Musa Xhaferi, Blerim Bezheti and others, pointed out that “the executive branch’s arrogance”, headed by the Deputy PM and Minister for Political System and Intercommunity Relations Artan Grubi caused “displeasure, revolt and passivity of the structures and voters”.

The Fiery Group then had a meeting in October with DUI’s management and they agreed to elect new management on October 15. However, despite the inclusion of the members of the Fiery Group in DUI’s top management, its members continued field activities, meeting with party members and voters across the country, to whom they present their commitments to party changes.

The DUI rift intensified, especially after Ahmeti assigned Bujar Osmani as coordinator of the Chair branch, a move the Fiery Group calls “unstatutory” because Izet Mexhiti is president of the Chair branch. They interpret this decision as a party elimination of their group and they announce similar steps to be taken towards other “disobedient coordinators”. dk/nn/