Former aides from President Donald Trump’s campaign are actively working on a new electoral effort in the Balkans. Their aim is to support the right-wing Democratic Party leader, Sali Berisha, in his battle against the well-favored Socialist Party leader and current Prime Minister, Edi Rama, during the parliamentary elections on Sunday.
According to the Associated Press, the team pushing for Berisha includes Chris LaCivita, who formerly managed Trump’s campaign, along with Paul Manafort and strategist and pollster Tony Fabrizio. LaCivita has drawn parallels between Trump and Berisha, highlighting that they both face “unjust prosecution and persecution by a government indifferent to Democracy.”
When questioned by Cim Peka of Syri TV on the global significance of the Albanian election, LaCivita mentioned, “Many of us in the United States are aware that the Soros family is highly active in international politics, particularly those that are destabilizing.” He added that the family prospers “in environments where governments are unstable, unfortunately finding an ideal setting in Albania and an ideal prime minister in Edi Rama.”
Albanian opposition supporters hold a placard showing US President Donald Trump (C) and Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha (CR) during an anti-government protest in front of the Prime Minister’s office in Tirana on February 8, 2025. Major right-wing opposition parties have accused the longtime Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and have called for the government to resign. (Photo by Adnan Beci/AFP via Getty Images)
Former Albanian Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations Agim Nesho told Fox News Digital that “May 11 elections are unfolding under intense pressure from the ruling Socialist Party, which has clung to power for over 12 years. The regime stands accused of jailing opposition leaders on fabricated charges, weaponizing state institutions, and silencing dissent in a country where citizens are increasingly afraid to speak freely.”
Nesho claimed that “the Albanian people are being denied the basic democratic rights to organize, vote, and oppose the government without fear. This system of repression, critics say, is supported—either tacitly or directly—by elements of the Biden administration and global actors like Alex Soros, who have worked to undercut the opposition and prevent free and fair elections, much like the political persecution seen in the United States against former President Donald Trump.”
Saying that the “election could mark a turning point,” as “a true grassroots movement is rising—ready to challenge state corruption and restore Albania’s path to freedom, development, and democratic self-determination,” Nesho called “on the Trump administration to closely monitor these elections and send a clear message to Tirana: America is watching.”
Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama waves as he addresses his supporters in the central square of Tirana, following his Socialist Party election victory on April 27, 2021. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told supporters on April 27, 2021, that they had delivered his Socialist Party’s “most difficult but sweetest” election victory, as almost complete results suggested he had clinched a record third term in office. (Photo by Gent ShkullakuAFP via Getty Images)
Nesho said “the United States must stand firmly on the side of democracy and the rule of law. The Albanian people deserve free elections, not another manipulated outcome enforced through fear and political imprisonment.”
Politico reported that while Rama’s Socialist Party appears to be ahead in polling, the impact Albanians who live abroad being allowed to vote for the first time, and a lack of reliability in polling data may still leave room for Berisha to secure victory and return to office as prime minister.
