European leftist partners ask Socialists end boycott

TIRANA, Feb. 24 – Hannes Swoboda, deputy leader of the leftist political grouping of the European Parliament, was the next international mediator to come to Albania this week.
Only a few hours after the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly delegation left the country, allegedly achieving almost nothing in its mediation between the two political parties. It was Swoboda to come and meet the Socialist leaders trying to urge them end the boycott, return to parliament and insist on electoral transparency there.
Together with Socialists’ leader Edi Rama Swoboda came out to a news conference late Tuesday evening to say that he had urged the Socialists to return to parliament and to make the request for the investigative committee on the June 28 poll there.
Swoboda also said that following that it would be the Council of Europe and the European Parliament that will ask the Venice Commission to immediately check the regularity of the Socialist’ request on opening a number of ballot boxes.
Swoboda said that it was not in the interest of the Socialists to stay out of the parliament which was the place where they were elected to operate.
The Socialists have made it clear that without opening a number of ballot boxes they would not end their parliamentary boycott as they claim that holding free and fair elections should be at last achieved in this tiny Balkan country.
The Council of Europe delegation also suggested the creation of the investigative committee and also the end of the boycott.
Both political parties – governing Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the opposition Socialists – accept the idea. Where they differ is whether the investigative committee should open or not the ballot boxes.
The governing Democrats say that opening them would break the laws as the Electoral College is the highest legal electoral institution and it has already given its verdict on many claims.
The socialists say that based on the agreement they reached to change the electoral code last year, if two members of the Central Electoral Commission asked for opening of the ballot boxes that would be enough to proceed.
The Council of Europe delegation said they expected positive developments soon.
At the same time the Socialists convene Wednesday afternoon to likely decide to swear in at the parliament and then go out again, until other efforts continue.
Meanwhile it seems that the president’s mediation efforts have already failed.