The current mayor of Shkodra, Voltana Ademi has withdrawn from the race for the local by-elections in Shkodra. Ademi was the only mayor of the Democratic Party, and this time she has decided to leave one of the bastions of the right. 

Through a post on social media regarding the candidacy, she says that she had confidence in the support of the citizens. She further emphasized that today Shkodra and Albania are at a moment where the basic principles of democracy are being discussed. 

"The support from the Democrats accompanied me through the years, even in these days. In the process of proposing candidacies for mayor for the elections of March 6, 2022, I am among the most voted. 

I am the acting mayor of Shkodra. Due to this position, the previous public positions that have been entrusted to me but also due to my ten-year engagement in the Democratic Party, I have decided not to participate in the "primaries" that will take place on January 30, 2022 to determine the candidate for mayor in Shkodra. I judge that I enter the race with an advantage over all other colleagues, for the reasons I mentioned above.

Today, Shkodra but also Albania, are at a time when the most basic principles of the functioning of a democracy are discussed. Everything, every link of society is being monopolized or has already been monopolized by the regime in power. Each of us, even if we do not say it out loud, thinks this fact. The existence of a real opposition is being questioned, necessary to maintain the balance of normal functioning of a state, which aspires to be part of the nations of the European Union", writes Ademi.