Tetovo, 16 April 2025 (MIA) - The central presidency of the Alliance of Albanians (AA) bloc of Arben Taravari decided late Tuesday they would run alone at the October local elections while continuing to be part of the Vlen (Worth It) coalition and the Government.

Taravari said the bloc came to this conclusion because Vlen did not accept their idea of conducting surveys among voters prior to making decisions on candidates for mayors and council members.

"AA has tried to impose a tool for election of Vlen candidates through surveys and opinion polls, which was rejected. We believe that when 4-5 party leaders or working groups sit down and choose the municipality of their liking, this is not the way forward for the best solution. Eventually, Vlen will lose as a whole," Taravari told a press conference after the end of the session.

He added they received an ultimatum for a decision until Tuesday and the outcome is that the bloc will have its own list of candidates for council members in the country's west.

"We are not leaving the Vlen coalition, we will only have our own lists. Regarding mayoral candidates, we are open for discussions. We haven't decided yet but we have urged Vlen to run together by selecting the candidates through surveys. Local elections are different and we need to find the person who has the biggest support, regardless of the party. The candidate may even be non-partisan is some places. We are still part of Vlen but will run with our own list of council member candidates," said Taravari.

Asked if they would leave the Government, Taravari said they are not planning to do that since several parties are part of the ruling coalition, including AA.

On the possibility of cooperation with Zijadin Sela, who is the leader of Alliance of Albanians party that Taravari broke away from, he said everyone is welcome to join.

"This house is big and open, everyone is welcome, many activists have joined us, those who have been abstaining for a few years are coming back," noted Taravari.

Photo: MIA