Arguing current electoral system is unfair to smaller parties, a special commission on electoral reform will discuss changes to the electoral code, vying for fairer representation of voters nationwide.
Tirana Times
Tirana, April 26 – Small political parties in Albania have long argued the current electoral system is unfair because it squeezes them out of parliament, leaving their voters unrepresented. Ranging in support from zero to four percent of the electorate, many small parties that had traditionally been part of Albania’s parliament were left out in the last elections thanks to declining support and changes done the electoral system by the two large parties, the Democrats and Socialists.
Now, in a move that could change Albania’s electoral system again, 26 political parties, including the governing Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the main opposition Socialist Party of Edi Rama, have signed an agreement on a new electoral code that would have a national proportional system instead of the existing regional proportional one. In theory, the new system would allow small parties to be more fairly represented, observers note.
Paskal Milo, the head of the small leftist PDS party, who served as a spokesman for the group of small parties on both sides of the political spectrum, said the signing of the draft proposal by the leaders of the two major parties is encouraging.
“The fact that the document has now been signed by the leaders of the two largest political parties, Sali Berisha and Edi Rama, creates the opportunity forour proposalsto be seriously consideredbythe Special CommitteeonElectoral Reform,” Milo told local reporters. “We hope and believe also that the commissionwill reflectandwill give aseriousproductthat guaranteesfree and fair elections.”
Deal followed large political roundtable
That political deal followed a meeting with representatives from all political parties, organized by a group of smaller parties who say they want their electorate represented in parliament. The two large parties had sent representatives as well.
Monday’s meeting heard all forms of criticism or complaint from the smaller parties claiming that the electoral reform being made from a parliamentary commission made up of only the lawmakers of the two big parties did not pay any attention at all on their requests.
Socialist leader Edi Rama repeated that the Socialists were ready to offer all their support for the amendments. But he also added that they could not do it on their own as the governing Democrats had a bigger part as the governing majority. Rama also added the small party demands would not be deal-breaking conditions for them in the electoral code change discussions with the Democrats.
“In principle we are ready to explore improving the system,” Rama said at the meeting. “But we won’t condition the reform with this change. First and foremost we want the electoral system to work based on international standards.”
Ilir Rusmali, the MP representing the Democrats at the meeting and the man who leads the special electoral reform commission in parliament, was vaguer. “We are here to listen very carefully the worries of small parties,” he said. “What we deal with today is very important, and we need to get the most out of it, and we want to be constructive.”
But with the ball in their court, the Democrats decided the smaller parties requests should be taken into consideration. Before departing for Washington, Berisha signed the deal, thus making it possible for the changes to go in front of the special parliamentary commission for discussion.
Kingmaker goals
The smaller political parties want to have their place in Albanian politics, and they can only truly do so through getting seats in parliament. Analysts say the small parties’ best chance of getting political clout is doing the same thing the Socialist Movement of Integration of Ilir Meta achieved. With four seats in parliament, it turned into the kingmaker of the government and all its decisions in the last three years.
Milo, who led the meeting, said small parties just wanted to represent their own electorate. “We are not here to ask about crumbs on the table from something that belongs to you [the large parties] ŠWe are here to finally have a law that guarantees free and fair elections.”
Thesmall parties want allocationof parliamentary seats to be based at the national level, not regionally as is the case currently. Another of their demands is to reduce the parliamentary entry threshold from 2.5 percent to 2 percent. Small parties also want to be part of the monitoring process when the votes are counted, as right now they don’t have full access to electoral commissions and the process is only monitored by the larger parties.
Next steps
The agreement does not mean the amendments will be applied. Many more steps are needed when experts will debate on the technicalities. That could show, as it is often obvious in this post-communist country that words are far from deeds.
That means it will not be unlikely that one or the other big party hampers such an amendment offering any tiny detail and make it impossible to be turned into a law, analysts notes.
“The smaller political parties have shown they are powerless as they are very easily divided,” a political insider says. “It was likely the first time they joined forces in the last two decades as this week. But when it comes to taking posts or seats it is no surprise if they betray each other.”
That is known very well by the big parties which offer posts in the cabinet to attract a few more votes.
Electoral reform still slow
The electoral reform process is supposed to be in its last stages. The two big parties must have ended their work on that issue at the end of April. For the moment it seems they have made a big step deciding to use some electronic devices in order to check and count the participants in the vote through their identity cards. It is also said, but still not clear, that there will be an electronic voting, which is also a major step ahead.
The international community is pushing hard to conclude the work. EU Ambassador Ettore Sequi said Wednesday they should complete the work by May 3.
OSCE Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth said “it is a very important move from the smaller political parties also to discuss aspects of the electoral system. Especially when the smaller parties want to be heard, platforms, like this one, are very important to make their opinion known, and, if they are convincing to a larger part of the political scene, they might also materialize in the future.”
Wollfarth hailed the hard work of the members of the ad hoc parliamentary committee, and especially the co-chairs, and also optimistically said he was “confident that they will develop together, jointly, a good draft that will be presented soon.”
But the agreement with the small parties has lead to some delays, in the work of the Commission on Electoral Reform. Parliament adopted by120votes toextend the mandate ofthe commission until May 15. Members of parliament approved the extension to give the commission time to amend thecorrection ofthe current electoralsystemto national proportional from the current regional proportional system.
