DUI: Alternativa and Besa still appear as separate parties in Central Registry
DUI says Central Registry entries list Alternativa and Besa as still active and questions a secret leadership change in Alternativa.
Opposition party the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) has renewed accusations against Vlen, alleging that several parties that publicly merged into the coalition continue to appear as separate, active political entities in North Macedonia's Central Registry.
DUI says registry records show that Alternativa is still listed as an independent party with Zekirija Berisha recorded as its president — a figure the party describes as Bekim Sali's chief of staff. In a separate claim issued on Tuesday (18 August), DUI also said that Besa remains registered as an active party with Bilal Kasami as its president.
"When was Zekirija Berisha elected as leader? Which party body made that decision? Why was the change kept secret? Do the members of Alternative know who legally leads their party? We have a scandalous and probably unprecedented case – a party changes its leader in official documents, and hides this fact from citizens and its own members," the DUI statement published on Facebook says.
Background and registries
According to DUI, the Central Registry entries show Berisha as Alternativa's registered head, while Berisha is employed as the chief of staff to the first deputy prime minister and Minister of European Affairs, Bekim Sali. DUI says neither party members nor the public were informed about any change of leadership recorded in the registry.
DUI recalls that before four parties consolidated under Vlen, Alternativa's Central Assembly appointed Bekim Sali as acting president at the beginning of December last year, following the irrevocable resignation of the previous leader, Zeqirija Ibraimi.
In its Tuesday (18 August) communication, DUI says it provided a written registry document to support its claim about Besa, but it did not publish a similar document regarding Alternativa in the same announcement. The party also accused Vlen of being an engineered structure meant to split the Albanian vote and reduce its political weight.
"Besa continues to exist with Bilal Kasami as leader. Alternative continues to exist with Zekirija Berisha as leader. The so-called 'merger' they have only in conferences and propaganda. The parties, the leaders, the seals and the interests continue separately. Vlen is a fraud from bottom to top," the DUI statement adds.
Photo: press material from the event
