By Alba ȥla It took a very bumpy road to be traveled but finally the local elections of 2007 were more or less successfully completed. What follows is a confusing and somewhat comic contestation of the results with each part
By Adri Nurellari Amidst the many resemblances between the 2005 parliamentary elections and local government polls of 2007 one can identify the indefinable election results which permit both sides, Left and Right, to claim they have won the majority of
By John Colston NATO’s Riga Summit last November sent two clear messages to countries who aspire to join the NATO Alliance: a message of encouragement and support; and a message that NATO’s process of enlargement will continue to be based
By Marcie B. Ries Recently, the United States Embassy in Tirana has become the Point of Contact Embassy for Albania as a NATO aspirant, succeeding the Embassy of Poland. This means that my Embassy is responsible for facilitating contact and
By Janusz Bugajski Allied capitals are asking important questions about the future of NATO. Above all, is NATO still a vital global player in resolving conflicts and combating regional crises? Or has NATO become a peace keeping and state rebuilding
By Alba Cela In the busy economic agenda of the Albanian government one item stands out for the prize of most lingering issue: the privatization of fixed-line monopoly Albtelecom. The telecommunications company owned by the state has been listed for
By ERMAL HASIMJA In July 2005, the Left won more votes numerically than the Right, however, everyone is of the opinion that these elections were won by the Right. On 18 February, both camps tried to convince everyone that they
By Alba ȥla The local elections had such a strong grip on everybody’s life in Albania that once done it feels like a heavy weight is lifted from our shoulders. For weeks the news, analysis, comments, predictions, estimates, controversial debates
Nothing could have been more telling, of the problems that hampered Sunday’s local election, than the image of a frazzled Sali Berisha struggling to work out which box in which to put his voting papers. Amid scores of microphones and
By Janusz Bugajski The Ahtisaari plan for Kosova launches the aspiring state on the road to independence and sovereignty. However, statehood will not be obtained overnight. The process will take several months to complete and the Kosovar leadership must remain
