Ethnic Greek minority party sticks to leftist opposition coalition

TIRANA, July 20 – Head of the ethnic Greek minority political party, the Human Rights Union Party (HRUP), Vangjel Dule publicly declared that he would continue to stay in the coalition with the opposition leftist, declining to go to the centre-right and join Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s Democratic Party-led coalition.
They had previously been part of that coalition but separated at the last moment, before the June 28 parliamentary election, to join the Socialists.
At the same time it was made known that Berisha had made an offer to Dule to rejoin the coalition, which he turned down.
The HRUP came out smaller this time with only one lawmaker from the four it had before. That was largely to blame due to the division among the party leaders. Some senior former leaders joined the governing Democrats while others have openly criticized Dule.
The HRUP has typically joined the governing coalition in post-communist Albania.
Dule joined the chorus of the opposition criticizing the June 28 election for lowering the required standards at the counting process.
Governing Democrats have won 68 seats and, together with their Republican and Justice for Integration allies, have 70. They have also been joined by the leftist Socialists Movement for Integration of Ilir Meta, largely due to the latter’s conflict with Socialist leader Edi Rama.
Dule also criticized their coalition and suggested it was unable to take the country ahead in its bid to integrate with the European Union.
The Socialists have 65 seats and with the one HRUP seat they have 66.
The counting process has yet to be completed with many complaints laid before the Electoral College.
Dule suggested the creation of a technical government to take the country ahead into fresh elections.
“First in politics ‘never say never,” said Berisha in reaction to Dule’s words, adding that when they separated in the governing coalition he had told him, “Careful Vangjel.”