TIRANA TIMES
TIRANA, April 20 – International officials in the country and abroad continue to call on the Albanian political leaders and common Albanians to exploit the May 8 local elections as a new step to achieve the much-wanted standards of democracy in the post-communist country.
There are almost daily calls for calm from European, US, OSCE and other officials.
Miroslav Lajcak, EU managing director for Europe and Central Asia, said during his report to the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee last week that the EU has asked Albania to re-establish political dialogue and hold free and democratic local elections on May 8th as a condition for integration. Lajcak also called on the European Parliament to continue supporting dialogue in Albania. “We have to continue with our pressure and they have to know that we are closely observing the elections,” said Lajcak.
U.S. Ambassador Alexander Arvizu has used all his daily meetings in the last week to call for calm and has urged Albanians to go and vote May 8 for their administration. OSCE Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth has also become more and more present in the daily news, always focusing on the local government elections due on 8 May.
They always try also to offer free lecturing to Albanians and their politicians.
“Public elections are a time when ordinary citizens have the opportunity to make an informed choice between alternative political party platforms and between differing candidates as to who should govern their locality. Local government elections are different by the very nature that they are local. Voters in these elections get to make a choice on who they wish to see deliver local public services. It is about management and management skills. It is about practical life, and it is clearly not about cloudy dreams,” said Wollfarth at the Vlora University earlier this week.
Ironically he said they should “become simplified into some sort of political ‘beauty contest’ between national party leader A and national party leader BŮ the importance and strategic value of what local self-government is all about is sadly diminished. It is about real life and about managing it.”
They do not forget to mention the success of their projects like that of the voter lists which are now better after a new civil registry and address system was built by the Ministry of Interior following a multi-million Euros EU funded project implemented by the OSCE Presence.
The international community makes it clear that the local media plays a vital role in informing the public and also in scrutinizing the activity of all political parties. They urge all broadcasters and newspaper outlets to be fair and balanced “so that all citizens have the chance to make up their own mind as to who to vote for.”
They do not forget to criticize the political parties for offering ‘ready-made tapes’ of their activities adding that it’s much better when a journalist has direct access to a public event and reports on it. They stress the importance of the Central Elections Commission, its’ key role for the polls. The political parties bear a heavy responsibility “in ensuring that these elections are an outstanding success, ones that meet international standards.” They should respect the laws and the election code. “There should be frankly no difficulties in both sides steering the ship that is the local government elections on to more calm and still waters,” said Wollfarth.
It seems very clear and necessary now that the main issue is for both political sides to get on with each other. Both sides somehow found a consensus back in the spring of 2008 so they can do it again if they really want to. They should ensure that the political rhetoric be both calm, and reasonable.
“It’s a time only for policies and constructive argument – and not a time for ‘name calling’ or worse still violence/unnecessary incidents,” the ambassador said.
Western ambassadors also try to urge political parties be more responsible in their offers and also marketing their candidates. Wollfarth quoted former US Ambassador to UN and former US Presidential candidate Adlai E Stevenson: “The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal – that you can gather votes like box tops – is, I think, the ultimate indignity to the democratic process.”
They try to tell Albanians that these elections should be about campaigning and political argument and urge political parties to allow the due legal process to continue in line with the Electoral Code.
They remind Albanians that elections “are for you the people to decide who you want to represent them. You should feel fully confident that you will be able to cast your vote and be confident that it will be counted.”
And when the elections have finally concluded, there is an urgent need I believe to see an electoral reform take place in good time so that the strongest possible foundations are laid for preparations for the 2013 parliamentary elections, Wollfarth also reminded Albanian politicians.
