TIRANA, May 1 – Seventeen political parties have submitted their electoral rolls for the parliamentary elections to the Central Election Commission.
The current members of the ruling coalition Socialist Party, Socialist Movement for Integration, Party for Justice, Integrity and Unity and other smaller parties seem to have decided to run alone in the polls.
The electoral watchdog is now processing the documents and files submitted by the parties, while the Democratic Party which has decided to boycott elections, has accused the CEC of violating the Electoral Code since the legal deadline for the registration of rolls had ended the night before.
The Democratic Party along with other smaller opposition parties have refused to register as electoral entities or coalitions, and have insisted on a caretaker government which would guarantee the fairness of elections. The Democratic Party chairman Lulzim Basha, said Monday that elections without the opposition would not count for anything.
The opposition parties have decided to escalate their protest and stage other rallies on May 7 in the city of Kavaja which will vote for a new mayor, after the last one, Elvis Rroshi elected in 2015 was removed over failure to disclose his criminal records, in the framework of the decriminalization bill.
In the last week of April, opposition parties radicalized their protest and blocked all national roads calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Rama who on the other hand is still hopeful the democrats will participate in the elections.
Opposition parties have refused to participate in the Kavaja municipal election arguing that Rama’s government cannot hold free and fair elections.
Chances of political parties finding a compromise and break the deadlock have failed following intensive unsuccessful negotiations led by two European envoys, David McAllister and Knut Fleckenstein.
European Union officials have repeatedly called on opposition parties to return to parliament and approve important reforms which pave the way to the vetting of 800 judges and prosecutors in the country.
