Socialist Party leader and Prime Minister Edi Rama addressed comments and calls from citizens demanding his resignation during a meeting with the party’s political leaders and the chairs of parliamentary committees. He said his mission would continue until the Albanian flag is raised in the courtyard of a united Europe.

Rama also commented on chants heard during recent protests, saying that calls for his resignation actually motivate him.

“People ask a legitimate question: Why do you still want to stay in power? Why don’t you understand that it’s time to make way for others? Others express it more bluntly, saying: ‘Hopefully you die as soon as possible and make way for the younger generation.’

These questions are legitimate. Publicly expressed wishes are an expression of freedom, while I do not consider curses.

After 13 years in government, ‘Why do you want to stay?’ is the most legitimate question.

We need to distinguish between two things: why we are not leaving office today, and why we seek to earn the right to continue tomorrow. That is democracy. A political party does not inherit power, does not own it, and cannot simply abandon it.

The Socialist Party exercises power in accordance with the Constitution and the votes it holds in Parliament. The protesters are not the people, just as we here are not the people. We are all part of the people, but we can represent them only if they grant us that mandate under the Constitution.

Otherwise, we speak only on our own behalf, not on behalf of the people. Even I, who am formally mandated to represent the country in the name of the people, do not claim to speak for all of them. Whether someone is in government or in opposition is decided by the people through their vote when they elect their representatives.

As for me, I can decide for myself whether I want to listen to those chanting, ‘Rama, resign.’ That chant energizes me,” he said.