Electoral reform to end this summer

TIRANA, June 11 – Top representatives from the two main political parties governing Democratic party and main opposition Socialist Party have declared recently that the electoral reform will be completed until the end of this parliamentary session in July.
Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli was convinced that the electoral reform and the new electoral code will be concluded in the next two months.
Kastriot Islami of the Socialists was also convinced they would complete the reform. Islami also mentioned they were discussing on the funding sources and other details needed for the electoral code.
The two main parties agreed earlier this year to change the electoral system into a regional proportional one.
But that was strongly opposed by all the other smaller political parties that are threatened from their presence in the new parliament if that applied.
Their effort to ask the Central Election Commission on a referendum for the constitutional amendments on that issue was turned down.
Meanwhile it is still not clear how the two main parties, that have the required numbers of seats in the 140-seat parliament to pass any law, will proceed. The electoral commission created from the parliament has not been functioning and besides the promises or convictions much work is needed to complete the reform with the new electoral code.(Tirana Times Staff)