Albania’s bitter political climate affects electoral reform, says OSCE

TIRANA, Nov. 24 – A report of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights published Friday said that Albania’s bitter political climate was affecting the ability to carry out much-needed electoral reforms before upcoming local elections. The report was considered to be an evaluation mission ahead of the upcoming local elections in Albania. The political dialogue between Albania’s main political parties נthe governing Democratic Party and main opposition Socialist Party נhas been “strained by an increasingly polarized atmosphere, lack of trust, and displays of acrimony,” the report said. “This situation has impacted upon electoral reform efforts, and indeed preparations for the upcoming local elections,” which are expected between Dec. 22 and Jan. 21. The report warned that after the failure of Albania’s political parties to begin an electoral reform, this “could jeopardize recognized achievements in Albania’s electoral process in recent years.” Updating voter lists has been a major source of friction among Albanian political parties, with many voters listed in different places. The Socialists have accused the government of distributing birth certificates, used as identification in order to vote, that could be exploited to manipulate election results. The government has denied the accusation. “It is of particular concern that Albanian politicians, on both sides of the political aisle, are perceived to be resurrecting past political practices, with the potential that partisan interests could supersede the national interest in the conduct of upcoming local elections in line with OSCE commitments,” the report said. Elections in post-communist Albania have consistently fallen short of international standards. The OSCE report recommends sending 430 long-term and short-term observers to the small Balkan country. The European Union and the United States have made it clear to Albania that holding free and fair elections is an important factor in its hope to eventually join the EU and NATO. Albania has signed a pact for closer ties with the EU, known as the Stabilization and Association Agreement, but no date has been set for Tirana to begin membership talks. All EU member countries must ratify the agreement before Albania can request to start entry.