Ballot boxes burnt, documentation sent to the archive

TIRANA, Jan. 10 – The Central Election Commission began to burn ballots last week Friday which sparked a strong reaction from the opposition Socialist Party.
The Socialists claim vote count manipulation and have asked for a partial recount in some areas. Ballots from these areas were the first to be burnt.
The CEC also decide to take all the electoral documentation to be preserved at the national archive, which also sparked a strong loud reaction from the Socialists saying that governing Democrats of Prime Minister Sali Berisha are trying to hide the vote manipulation such a move has been held also with the previous elections.
Archive head said afterward that the documentation was open to any investigation that could be started from the prosecutors.
These moves taken from the electoral commission were normally politicized at a time when the two main political groupings are at loggerheads over the transparency of the June 2009 parliamentary elections.
The opposition has accused the CEC and the government of breaking the law and attempting to hide manipulations committed during those 2009 elections.
Disputes over the vote have caused a political crisis in the country, with the opposition insisting the elections were manipulated and marred by serious violations that require a thorough investigation.