EU calls on Albania to complete counting process

TIRANA, Feb. 20 – The European Union appealed Tuesday to Albanian political parties to complete the counting process and conclude local polls. On behalf of the EU, German ambassador Hans Peter Anen said that “the EU presidency calls on the responsible parties to complete the electoral process in accordance with the constitutional and legal rules and notes with concern incidents in some parts of the country. It stresses that all political forces in Albania should respect the election results and should cooperate constructively.” It made clear as a warning that further delays in the electoral process would harden the country’s integration efforts into the EU. It considered the holding of free and fair elections as a “fundamental demand for closer relations with the EU.”