WASHINGTON, July 15 – The National Albanian American Council (NAAC) strongly urged the political parties in Albania to adopt a spirit of mutual cooperation and for the Parliament to elect a new President, according to a statement released by the group.
According to the Constitution, if the President is not elected after five rounds, general election must be held early. Early elections would represent a major step backwards for Albania’s stability and democracy.
After a prolonged transition process, Albania has made considerable progress towards becoming a part of the European family. In fact, along with Croatia and Macedonia, Albania is due to become a NATO member in 2008. Early elections would undermine the tremendous work the country has done and risk its accession to NATO, according to the NAAC.
In part, he statement read, “NAAC calls on the government and all political parties to place the interest of the country’s future and its people above partisan politics. We urge political parties to resume their seats at the negotiating table and resolve this issue.”
