Trump Advisors Fuel Berisha’s Fight in Albania’s High-Stakes Election

In a bold transatlantic move, former advisors to President Donald Trump are diving into Albania’s parliamentary elections, set for May 11, 2025, backing right-wing Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha against Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama. The team, including Trump’s ex-campaign manager Chris LaCivita, Paul Manafort, and pollster Tony Fabrizio, sees parallels between Berisha’s legal battles and Trump’s, with LaCivita claiming both face "unfair prosecution" from governments trampling on democracy.

Rama, gunning for a fourth term, promises EU integration but grapples with Albania’s persistent corruption woes. Berisha, meanwhile, faces his own corruption charges, which he calls politically motivated "lawfare" orchestrated by Rama and global players like George and Alex Soros. The Soros family’s Open Society Foundations have poured over $131 million into Albania over 18 years, a point LaCivita emphasizes as a destabilizing force. "This election is about the Albanian people’s right to a future," he told local media, framing Berisha’s campaign as a stand against external meddling.

Complicating Berisha’s run are U.S. sanctions from 2021 for alleged corruption, limiting his ability to connect with Albanian-American voters, who can vote in this election for the first time. His legal immunity was stripped in 2023, and he was under house arrest until November 2024. Former Albanian diplomat Agim Nesho calls the election a pivotal moment, accusing Rama’s regime of jailing opposition leaders and stifling dissent, with tacit support from the Biden administration and Soros-linked networks.

Despite Rama’s polling lead, the diaspora vote and shaky polling data could give Berisha an edge. Nesho urges the incoming Trump administration to monitor the election closely, warning that Albania’s democracy hangs in the balance.