Main parties reach consensus on electoral reform

TIRANA, July 12 – In the last minutes before the mandate of the parliamentary committee would be over and the time limit for the electoral reform, the governing Democrats and the opposition Socialists managed to reach a consensus on the electoral reform.
They agreed that the Central Election Commission head should be changed in September and the new one will be chosen through a competition process. They also agreed for a digital counting in one city and the digital checking of the documentation likely in capital Tirana. They also agreed that if two members of the election commission want to check the documentation they can do that.
These were some of the last decisions agreed from the parliamentary committee Wednesday just in time to tell Europe and the international community they can do something good for this country.
The electoral reform is a key priority and a basic recommendation and request from the European Union.
Meanwhile Albanian top officials were holding in Brussels the fifth round on the country’s request for the candidate status and the deal in Tirana was a good boost to those efforts.
It is not yet clear whether such a deal should also be voted in parliament and how.
But it is good that at last they could achieve something, though at the last minute.
It seemed that the negotiations were reaching a no-end point with both sides stuck in their position.
But it seemed that both sides gave in and agreed for a compromise.
The electoral reform, the parliamentary one and the lifting of the immunity were three main recommendations that the Albanian lawmakers have to fulfill before the parliament ends its summer session.
While there is good progress with the electoral one, there is still nothing in sight for the parliamentary reform. Meanwhile the immunity issue is being discussed and is on track toward a solution.
It has been clear that the international community, or the trio _ the OSCE, EU and the US _ have exerted enough pressure on both sides to convince them to go toward a successful end.
That has been noticed in the last days with the frequent, why not, daily meetings that these three ambassadors and other western ones hold with leaders and other senior personalities in all sides.
“It is also extremely important that this solution is being found between the parties represented in parliament,” said OSCE’s Eugen Wollfarth after meeting with opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rama earlier this week.
“We would wish for a sustainable solution being valid and impartial throughout the times,” he added.
But not everyone was pleased with the international moves, or interference. Leaders of the smaller parties, part of the opposition coalition, have not been pleased with the assistance given to the parliamentary committee from the OSCE/ODIHR. They say that they have supported openly the proposals from the majority in the electoral reform.
They have threatened to create a new political grouping unless the two main political parties agree to change the electoral system to a national proportional one.