Early elections says opposition

TIRANA, May 7 – Following the recent move of a ruling Democratic Party parliamentarian out of the party, and the threat from their other main ally, the Christian Democrats, the Albanian opposition has again broached the idea of early elections.
Ben Blushi, head of the Socialist parliamentary group, said that the government does not enjoy a majority in the parliament, thus the country should go to early elections.
Democrats now have 68 parliamentarians after one of their MPs left to become an independent, while another died in a car accident late last month.
In the current situation early elections are unavoidable, said Blushi to the media. He added that the reason is no longer due to the presidential election, but the fact that the ruling Democratic Party no longer has a parliamentary majority.
“Sooner or later, and despite the presidential election, the majority should be confronted with the early polls,” said Blushi.
The opposition parliamentarian acknowledged that working to dissolve the government in parliament would be difficult, thinking that in such a case the entire majority would join ranks and try to remain in power.
But he went on to say that Albania needed a “deeper surgery and I believe that Albanians should express themselves as to the kind of policies and reforms they are looking for.”
It has long been claimed by the opposition that they want to have the next president elected from their ranks, at a time when the governing Democrats have already announced that their deputy leader and head of the parliamentary group, Bamir Topi, is their candidate for the post.
However, it does not seem they have secured the support of their allies for that. Republicans have set their leader, Sabri Godo, as their presidential candidate and Christian Democrats have said they would support a second term for the existing president, Alfred Moisiu.
The opposition has yet to declare their candidate, but they have made it clear that following the deal with the Democrats five years ago to elect the president by consensus, the next president belongs to those in the opposition.