Politics reconcile on reforms, asks for urgent steps

TIRANA, Feb. 11 – What seemed to have become a more frequent occurrence among ever-squabbling Albanian politicians, the leaders of the two main political parties, the governing Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the main opposition Socialist Party of Tirana Mayor Edi Rama, appealed for speedier cooperation among the political parties in the parliament to immediately undertake long sought electoral reforms. Upon returning from Japan Berisha openly welcomed the opposition’s offer of reforms in the electoral process and also said he would be ready to hold a meeting with Rama.
Only a day later, Rama released a statement saying the country become more involved in the electoral reform.
Together with the reform in the judiciary, which has already started with some steps recently initiated by the High Council of Justice (which has not had the opposition’s support), the electoral reform completes two main problems that the post-communist country has repeatedly heard discussed by the international community.
The European Union and NATO, which Tirana hopes to become a member of during its April Bucharest Summit, have clearly said that reforming the judiciary and the electoral process were prerogatives for further integration efforts.
Rama also said that the opposition would not agree to take part in next year’s general elections unless the government equipped the people with new identity cars and also completed the voter registration list to be used in the election.
Interior Minister Bujar Nishani told a parliamentary commission Monday that the authorities had made all the preparations to issue citizens the identity cards and biometric passports.
The international tender for both would be launched at the end of this month. A parliamentary commission has been created, but so far has released no concrete results.
The smaller political parties in parliament have offered concrete projects and models for holding elections in the country.
The two main political parties have only said they would be ready to support any appropriate model but have not clearly stated which one they favor.