TIRANA, April 13 – The governing Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama and the main opposition Democratic Party of Tirana Mayor Lulzim Basha attacked several of each-others’ choices as candidate mayors ahead of the June 21 municipal elections.
Both parties have made charges that people with criminal ties are being allowed to run in the elections.
The Democrats said the Socialists’ candidate in Kruja, Artur Bushi, had been arrested by Italian authorities on drug-related charges. Bushi is currently a member of parliament from that region.
But the Socialists said Bushi had a year earlier presented an official document issued by Italian authorities to prove he has a clean record in the neighboring country.
The Socialists have countered that it is the Democrats who are nominating people with dubious pasts, giving the example of Xhelal Mziu, who is set to run again in Kamza.
Mziu where was sentenced with two years imprisonment last week by the Tirana district court on corruption-related charges. He is appealing the verdict.
Mziu leads Tirana’s northern suburbs, a Democratic Party stronghold and an area where most residents have moved in the past couple of decade from rural northern Albania.
Removing all people with criminal ties from politics, or decriminalization of politics as it is known locally, has been a key issue in the recent political discourse in Albania.
