Greece lets Albanian immigrants to vote in June 28 polls

TIRANA, June 15 – Greek authorities have decided to allow Albanian immigrants to return to Albania for the June 28th general elections.
The Greek Interior Ministry said last week that all Albanian immigrants can visit Albania twice this year and return to Greece legally, between late June and late September. Albanians living outside their homeland continue to be barred from casting votes from countries to which they emigrated. The main opposition Socialist Party has vowed to change that if it wins.
The Greek Interior Ministry has issued a decree that will make it easier for Albanian migrants living and working in Greece to return home for June 28 elections.
“Albanian migrants in Greece who do not have regular permits will be allowed to return home between June 18 and September 30,” the Ministry said in a Tuesday statement. The ruling also includes all the migrants who are in the process of renewing their residency permits.
Over 600,000 Albanians live and work in Greece, representing Albania’s largest emigrant community in the world.
Albania’s post-communist elections have been marred by fraud and violence falling short of international standards.
With Albania newly promoted to NATO membership status and having filed for EU candidate status, the ballot is seen as a crucial test of the county’s democratic credentials. The government, headed by conservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha, has repeatedly promised to make everything possible to ensure a fair voting process. In the meantime, the opposition has complained about the slow process of issuing new identity cards, necessary to cast ballots for those citizens without passports