MJAFT in Vlora, organizing a debate - KOHA JONE

The promotional caravan, put together by Mjaft Movement, arrived Thursday, on the southern part of Albania . Along with the slogan “Rock the Vote” Mjaft Movement and a dynamic group of young people, has organized public debates in the cities of Berat, Vlore , Gjirokaster and Permet, constantly stressing the importance of the citizens’ participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Akin to the northern part, the interest and the support on the debates has reached its maximum, showing that the citizens embrace the new debating system among the candidates.

The first stop took place in Berat. The 4 candidates of major parties, DP, SP, SMI and NMD, had introduced their programs on the elections of July 3^rd. During the debate, held at the Cultural Center of the city, they had promised to expand the tourist activities in the district and to improve the education. All four political parties had promised to use the natural resources of the city to the max, in order to increase employment. The citizens had the opportunity to direct questions and to express their opinions, in order to show that empty promises were not welcome anymore. The citizens had also required knowing more around the specific political strategies that these candidates were to follow in order to improve the current problems in this district. Afterwards, the activity was followed by a concert with the participation of some of the best Albanian singers.

Another debate was held at the Cultural Center of the city of Vlora . Mjaft has been welcomed from the inhabitants that showed big interest in the debate as well as the concert that followed. The debate was arranged among the candidates of the 94^th electoral zone. All four candidates accepted that Vlora had issues with the education, infrastructure and the dramatically increased number of unemployment. However the strategies picked by each candidate, in order to fix these problems were different. The heated part of the debate was reached when a citizen touched the topic of an Energetic Source Park , planned of being built. The candidates of the two major parties had opposing views on this topic. Bujar Leskaj, candidate of the DP, had been against this idea and had supported the request for a local referendum in relation to the issue at hand. Another alternative had been presented by Mezan Malaj, candidate of the SP, who had supported the idea of this park being built, in importance to the electrical supply of the city. Nevertheless the debate had several interventions from the public, who ever so often was not satisfied by the answers of either candidate. While the debate was being conducted in closed doors of the Cultural Center , the Mjaft volunteers were occupying the streets of Vlora, distributing pamphlets that put an emphasis on the participation of the voters in the upcoming elections of July 3^rd.

Later, thousands of citizens had moved to the downtown area, where they were entertained by the music of MJAFT’s invited singers such as Kristi, Ariola Krasniqi, Gjergji Jorgaqi and Inis Gjoni, who had asked the inhabitants of this city to come out and vote on July 3^rd, because if they didn’t, someone else would decide for them.