Former campaign advisors of President Donald Trump are at work on a new campaign in the Balkans, hoping to tip the scales for the right-wing Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha, who faces off against the highly favored Socialist Party leader and Prime Minister Edi Rama in Sunday’s parliamentary elections.

Former Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita, Trump 2016 campaign manager Paul Manafort, and strategist and pollster Tony Fabrizio round out the team backing Berisha, according to the Associated Press. LaCivita has compared Trump and Berisha, saying they are both “unfairly prosecuted and persecuted by a government that has no regard for Democracy.” 

When asked by Syri TV’s Cim Peka why the Albanian election is important for the world, LaCivita said that “one of the things that many of us know in the United States is that the Soros family is very active in politics around the globe, and it’s not just regular politics, it’s destabilizing politics.” LaCivita said that the family thrives “in an environment where the governments are insecure and they found the perfect home unfortunately in Albania, and they found the perfect prime minister in Edi Rama.”

Albanian opposition supporters hold a placard showing US President Donald Trump (C) and Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha (CR) during an anti-government protest in front of the Prime Minister’s office in Tirana on February 8, 2025. Major right-wing opposition parties have accused the longtime Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and have called for the government to resign.  (Photo by Adnan Beci/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Albanian Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations Agim Nesho told Fox News Digital that “May 11 elections are unfolding under intense pressure from the ruling Socialist Party, which has clung to power for over 12 years. The regime stands accused of jailing opposition leaders on fabricated charges, weaponizing state institutions, and silencing dissent in a country where citizens are increasingly afraid to speak freely.”

Nesho claimed that “the Albanian people are being denied the basic democratic rights to organize, vote, and oppose the government without fear. This system of repression, critics say, is supported—either tacitly or directly—by elements of the Biden administration and global actors like Alex Soros, who have worked to undercut the opposition and prevent free and fair elections, much like the political persecution seen in the United States against former President Donald Trump.”

Saying that the “election could mark a turning point,” as “a true grassroots movement is rising—ready to challenge state corruption and restore Albania’s path to freedom, development, and democratic self-determination,” Nesho called “on the Trump administration to closely monitor these elections and send a clear message to Tirana: America is watching.” 

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama waves as he addresses his supporters in the central square of Tirana, following his Socialist Party election victory on April 27, 2021. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told supporters on April 27, 2021, that they had delivered his Socialist Party’s “most difficult but sweetest” election victory, as almost complete results suggested he had clinched a record third term in office. (Photo by Gent ShkullakuAFP via Getty Images)

Nesho said “the United States must stand firmly on the side of democracy and the rule of law. The Albanian people deserve free elections, not another manipulated outcome enforced through fear and political imprisonment.”

Politico reported that while Rama’s Socialist Party appears to be ahead in polling, the impact Albanians who live abroad being allowed to vote for the first time, and a lack of reliability in polling data may still leave room for Berisha to secure victory and return to office as prime minister.