CEC wants to destroy old ballots

TIRANA, Sep. 14 – The Central Elections Commission said that it will decide by the end of the week when they are to burn the ballots of the last year’s parliamentary election. They say the election boxes needed for the local elections next year.
Last week, CEC head Arben Ristani said they had prepared all the legislation and the proper procedure how they are to proceed in destroying the unneeded documentation and make ready the infrastructure for the local polls.
His deputy, Deshira Subashi, however, expressed surprise about the rush in burning ballots when the country’s two main political parties — the governing Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and main opposition Socialist Party of Tirana Mayor Edi Rama — are still at loggerheads over investigation of the claims on alleged vote count manipulation.
The opposition wants to recount part of the ballot boxes but the Democrats say that is illegal.
Such a conflict has left the country in suspense since June 2009. The opposition boycotted the parliament, turned back and boycotted its voting. It held a hunger strike and numerous street protests.
It has said it is preparing to resume street protests as it does not believe that the democrats will agree to investigate the elections, including partial vote recount.
That means that if the CEC decides to burn the ballots soon, another political flare-up could engulf the country and could spark more actions from the opposition, which is saying that vote transparency is the basis of all the democratic processes in the country.
The opposition has said it openly that if the ballots are burnt, then there is no more room for compromise with the governing Democrats and it is up to the people to decide how to resolve the process, which in other words means street protests.