Berisha signs a ten-party coalition, opposition still in talks

TIRANA, Jan. 17 – The governing Democratic Party of Sali Berisha on Wednesday signed a coalition with nine other smaller parties for the Feb.18 local elections which they called Big Alliance.
The ten-party coalition is made up of the Democratic party, Republican party, New Democratic party, Christian Democratic party, Environmental Agrarian party, Liberal Democratic Union party, Legality Movement party, National Front party and the Movement for National Development party. The deal aims at collaborating for the local polls. Berisha said that was the biggest ever political coalition in the country.
Meanwhile opposition Socialists have signed agreements only with the Democratic Alliance party and the Social Democratic Union party, the two smallest groupings in the coalition. The problem remains with the Socialist Movement for Integration of Ilir Meta who is asking to have 23 percent of the posts all around the country. The Social Democrats of Skender Gjinushi have made it clear they will sign the deal only after they see the established agreement between the Socialists and Meta’s party.
In all this the Human Rights Union party has stayed aside creating small cooperation efforts in different areas with each of the two groupings but alone in Himara.