Former Ambassador to Brussels is the latest presidential candidate

University Professor and former Ambassador to Brussels Blerim Reka enters the race for head of state. He will act as a non-party candidate, but the nomination is also the work of the Alliance of Albanians and the Besa Movement. This way, the parties led by Zijadin Sela and Bilal Kasami want to get the primacy among the citizens of Albanian nationality, having in mind that the government DUI and SDSM, which have considerable support among the Albanian voters, decided to go with joint forces to the presidential elections, but their favourite will be from the ranks of the Social Democratic Union.

Yesterday on his Facebook page, Reka confirmed the news that spread this morning in the political circles.

“I cannot respond to all media and friends, so through this statement I announce my candidacy for the presidency of the Republic of North Macedonia, hoping it would be supported. There are two reasons for this decision. First, If only Macedonian candidates run, without any Albanians, this multi-ethnic society would end up looking like a mono-ethnic state in which the Albanians can be only voters, but never candidates. Second, only intellectual criticism, without entering into political confrontation, is not enough to change the situation. They stay virtual on Facebook, while life is real. After all, history is written by statesmen, intellectuals only write about history,” Professor Reka wrote in his Facebook page.

In order to run in the elections scheduled for April 21, ie on May 5, Reka will have to collect at least ten thousand signatures of citizens with a right to vote, or to receive support from at least thirty MPs in Parliament. The second option, at the moment, is a mission impossible for the Albanian opposition parties. Therefore, signatures will be collected, which should be an easy task, given the fact that the Alliance of Albanians and the Besa Movement officially stood behind his nomination.

“As opposition parties, we believe that the presidential elections are pointless without an ethnic Albanian candidate. As a matter of principle, we will support the nomination of professor Reka. His rich academic and diplomatic experience will enhance the office of the President,” reads the joint statement of the two parties.

The Albanian parties expect a large number of NGOs, civic associations and individuals to send a clear message that the DUI’s time has expired, and give their support to Reka.

Blerim Reka, 60, graduated law at the Pristina University in 1982. In 1994 he received his Master’s Degree in the field of Civil and Economic Law in Pristina. Eight years later, in the capital of Kosovo, he received his PHD in international law.
He was the Ambassador of Macedonia to the European Union in Brussels from 2006 to 2010.

(GA)