Albania media says general polls set for June 28 next year

TIRANA, Aug 25 – A local television station reported Sunday evening that the country’s leaders had agreed that general elections would be held next year on June 28.
Private Top Channel television station said that followed what Prime Minister Sali Berisha had declared days ago, saying the polls would be held on schedule.
The report also said that the two main political parties, the governing Democratic Party and the main opposition Socialists Party, which also supported constitutional amendments in April, had agreed to June 28, 2009 elections.
However, the opposition Socialists later denied any date was set, adding that the country’s president was entitled to set the date of general polls. Fatmir Xhafaj, a Socialist lawmaker and former justice minister, said that general elections will be held sometime between March 15 and June 30.
The report also said leaders had agreed that, besides the new identity cards, Albanian voters could also use passports to identify themselves. The new IDs will start being issued January 1 but the process will hardly be able to supply the entire population with them.
On Monday the opposition made it clear that preparing the new electoral code was of prior importance for the parliament when it begins the new session next month.
(Tirana Times Staff)