Round table to end political crisis

TIRANA, Feb. 8 – Albania’s President Bamir Topi has summoned the government and main opposition parties in talks on alleged electoral fraud Saturday, Feb. 13, in a bid to end a months-long political crisis.
Topi said in a statement Monday that following meetings with head of the European Commission Delegation office in Tirana, Ambassador Helmuth Lohan, Spanish Ambassador Manuel Montobbio de Balanse, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, US Ambassador John L. Withers II and following contacts with Prime Minister and leader of the Democratic party Sali Berisha and head of the Socialist Party Edi Rama, the political round table would be held at 11 a.m. at his office.
Political parties had no immediate reaction to that news.
The main opposition Socialists have boycotted Parliament for months, blocking most legislative work and staging large protests.
They claim Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s Democrats manipulated vote counting in the June 28 national elections and demand a recount – which the government has ruled out.
The Democrats control 75 of parliament’s 140 seats; the Socialists 65.
The two political parties are strongly holding their stands on the political crisis.
The main opposition Socialists say that opening a number of ballot boxes which they claim were ‘deformed’ is fundamental in order to have a full democracy in the country. They have said either recount a number of ballot boxes or they will ask for Berisha’s resignation.
Berisha, on his side, insists that the ballot boxes cannot be opened; as for them it was the Electoral College to give the final verdict and opening them would break the law, the Constitution.
Meanwhile it is very clear that the play of the international community is fundamental in resolving the crisis.
It was the Council of Europe which passed a resolution on Albania calling for the creation of an investigative commission on the June 28 elections and also urging the opposition to return to parliament and end their boycott.
Jaakko Laakso of a Council of Europe monitoring committee told the BBC in an interview that is was essential to terminate the stand-off.
“Our objective is first of all to prevent the aggravation of the crisis. We are mainly supporting the efforts of President Bamir Topi and think he is the main mediator and all other actors should support him,” Laasko said.
The opposition led by the Socialist Party have stayed out of parliament since September, insisting on a thorough investigation of general elections in June 2009, which they claim were rigged in favor of the ruling party. The socialists came second in the ballot.