Democrat leader Basha: Over 600 thousands Albanians, this is the biggest protest ever, a referendum for the New Republic/Democratic Party chairman Lulzim Basha took the floor in the protest of the opposition, after nine citizens who spoke before him. Basha said this is the biggest protest ever in Albania and a referendum for the New Republic.

“Never before has Albania gathered so many Albanians in a single place like today! Never before has the light of God blessed such a joining of hearts like today! This is not a protest! This is not a manifestation! This is Albanians’ referendum for the New Republic. I see you all, even you standing there, near (the monument of) our national hero Scanderbeg, I see you and I salute you”, Basha told the protesters in the main boulevard of Tirana.

“I see more than 600 thousand Albanians in this square today and you’ll be even more for the historic referendum”.

“Three months ago, on February 18 , we joined in this square to say “stop” to the bad governance, to drugs and to ask by all means free elections, as the foundation of a democratic government and the European future of our nation”.

“For 85 days and nights, Albanians from the whole Albania, intellectual, professors, artists, pensioners and friends from all over the world gathered in this square to stand side by side in our unstoppable battle for the real democracy”.

“Here we are today; in a unification Albania has never seen, nor have the Balkans, Europe or the world. This is not merely a unification against the bad governance, this is the proclamation of hope and faith in yourselves, in your future and altogether in our Albania. You are here because you believe in the New Republic. We started for one objective: free and fair elections, as the foundation of democracy. Today we are here for much more! We are here not simply for a change, but for THE change, the biggest in our national history.

Everything must change and thanks to our unity, your resistance, with the help of God, everything must change, nothing will be as it was before!

The Old Republic today is proclaimed an artifact of the National Historic Museum!

We, the united Albanians, starting from today, do not recognize the old republic of crime and drug. How could we recognize it, when a 18-year old is pushed towards suicide in a prison cell only for a marijuana joint, while the cannabis traffickers become deputies, ministers, dine with the chief of the government and fill his bank accounts?!

How could we accept it, when thousands of families are starving, without an economic assistance, while Edi Rama takes millions from Albanian taxes through the criminal hands of the concessions of healthcare?

How could we accept the old republic that left thousands of high school graduates out of the universities and forced thousand others to interrupt the higher education, in a time when a fistful of oligarchs and university owners connected to Edi Rama earn millions?

How could we accept the old republic when the former political prosecuted victims are humiliated today, by appointing their inquisitor as the interior minister, who tortured them only because they were happy the day the dictator died?

How could we accept the old republic that hid the drug in underground tunnels and sells it for the benefit of Edi Rama and a fistful of oligarchs connected to him?”.