Electoral reforms debated by politicians

TIRANA, Dec. 5 – Politicians of different spectrum are giving their opinions on the possible electoral system that would best fit the country.
Elections in Albania have constantly been a cause of concern for the international community which has consistently criticized authorities for inadequate application of the laws and the political parties for interference.
Holding free and fair elections is a precondition for the Albania in its integration efforts to join NATO and the European Union.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has already suggested five alternatives for improving the current system including amendments to the constitution in order to change the electoral system. During the last week there have been opposition politicians who have come out in favor of the issue and often criticized the governing coalition for not wishing to reform the system.
The main opposition Socialists say they would prefer a combination of the German and Spanish systems, referring to the proportional representation.
The smaller political parties always oppose raising the electoral level of entrance to the parliament from the existing 2.5 percent of the votes.
A parliamentary ad hoc committee created for the electoral system said they would ask the smaller political parties to cnsider a combination of German and Spanish systems.
A change of the system needs constitutional amendments which, on their part, normally ask for at least three-fifths of the 140-seat parliament.
One hundred lawmakers are directly elected by voters, while the rest are divided based on the percentage of the votes won by each party.