Though the main opposition Democratic Party has not officially declared it will boycott parliament, party officials have indicated they will take a more disruptive role in parliament, accusing the six-month-old government of threatening the country’s EU integration efforts with ‘arbitrary decisions’
TIRANA, Feb. 27 – Albania’s main opposition Democratic Party has warned it will review its relationship with the parliament, taking a more disruptive role in the legislative body, while accusing the six-month-old Socialist-led government of threatening the country’s EU integration efforts with recent “arbitrary decisions.”
“We will review our relations with parliament as a function of protecting the law, the constitution and democracy,” the party’s leader, Lulzim Basha, said.
After Basha made the comments earlier in the week indicating the party might boycott parliament altogether, the head of the Democrats’ parliamentary group, Edi Paloka, clarified that no decision to boycott had been made yet, but the Democrats would not sit idly by and the ruling Socialists took decisions that they saw as threatening to independent institutions
and the country’s EU integration bid.
The calls came after last week’s firing from the post of Zana Xhuka, head of the property and income auditing inspectorate, a move that lead to heated debate in parliament, including a walk- out by opposition MPs on Thursday.
Paloka said the walkout was a protest to remind the majority in power “not to be arrogant.”
As debate took place in parliament Thursday, there was a protest outside from former public employees who had recently been fired from their positions.
Anger over civil ser vice firings
Civil service employment has been a major cause for disagreements between the government and opposition, who accuse the prime minister of using technicalities to delay the implementation of a law that would protect civil servants from being replaced by ruling party activists.
A Constitutional Court decision that forced the government to implement the law was published in the Official Gazette this week after several delays the opposition said served to fire more people from the civil service.
Hiring party activists to fill public service positions has been a regular feature of Albania’s transition to democracy and has been done by all sides when they have come to power.
The Socialists say they are simply getting rid of unqualified people hired solely because they were Democratic Party activists and are replacing them with skilled professionals hired through fair competitions.
Critics say many of the people being hired have strong political ties to the ruling parties while many of those being replaced are taking with them years of experience and investment in training paid for by taxpayers.
Little appetite for boycott, massive protests
Boycotting parliament is a measure opposition parties have often taken in Albania. Then-opposition Socialists boycotted for more than two years after the 2009 elections, claiming electoral fraud. The deadlock hampered the European integration efforts, something where
Albania has failed for at least five years.
In addition, the Democrats accuse the government failure to fight poverty hoping to capitalize on public anger over unemployment and a stagnant economy.
Ridvan Bode, former finance minister, came out last weekend to accuse the government of taking the country deeper into debt. Bode had himself come under attack by the Socialists last year after asking parliament last year to increase the limit of the public debt to 62 percent.
Despite opposition threats of massive street protests, analysts point out there is little desire in Albania to for protests like in Bosnia and Ukraine as the government is only six- months-old and the Democrats saw the brunt of popular anger after eight years in power, losing the election by a large margin.
