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Democratic Party of the Albanians (Political party, Macedonia)

Partia Demokratike Shqiptare - PDSH

Flag of PDHS - Image by Ivan Sache, emblem from the PDSH website, 30 March 1998

Flag of PDSH
Albanian parties challenging the Macedonian national flag

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Flag of PDSH

In a newspaper article about the situation in Macedonia there was a photo of the leader of the Democratic Party of Albanians Arbër Xhaferi, and behind him there was the flag of the party, red with a shield outlined in gold with a black double-headed eagle and a golden ribbon above with black letters "PDSH".

The eagle is not of the shape of the current Albanian eagle. It is rather like something that recalls the double-headed eagle of the Holy Roman Empire, with vertically spread wings.

Željko Heimer, 30 March 1998

Albanian parties challenging the Macedonian national flag

According to a paper by Mariela Trajkovska published in Dnevnik on 16 April 2005, the leaders of two important Albanian political parties in Macedonia ask for a change of the national symbols, claiming that the current symbols do not reflect the multiethnicity of the state.
Ermira Mehmeti, the spokeswoman of BDI, a party member of the governing coalition, said: "The anthem and the flag shall express the new characteristics of the Constitution and of the Sate". The party has yet to organize an internal discussion and to decide when to propose the change of the national symbols to the government. The issue must be discussed in the party since it recognized the current flag two years ago. Vice-President of BDI Rafiz Aliti was more direct: "We require a new flag for the state. The Macedonian community shall have to decide if it needs a national flag different from the flag of the state. We, the Albanians, already have a national flag and we do not want to change it, although it is the state flag of Albania. The Macedonian Constitution recognize us as representatives of the Albanian people. Changing our national flag would mean that we do not belong to that people."
Arbër Xhaferi, the leader of PDSH, an opposition party, claims that the Albanians do not feel represented by the current state flag of Macedonia, which should be accepted by all citizens. He regrets that it took a lot of time to BDI to change its mind on the issue of the national symbols. A change of the symbols could be possible if all parties are prepared to discuss. The aim of the discussion shall be the design of symbols accepted by everybody.
The main Macedonian party of the governing coalition, SDSM, has refused to comment the situation before having seen concrete elements of discussion. The question of the change of the national symbols has never been addressed in SDSM.

Source: Courrier des Balkans, original paper translated in French by Viktor Zakar

Ivan Sache, 20 April 2005