No family vote, get the IDs, says OSCE

TIRANA, June 16 – Head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Albania, Ambassador Robert Bosch, and Albanian President Bamir Topi, both called on Albanians Tuesday to take advantage of the last two days and apply for the new identity cards.
Albanians have three more days beginning Monday for those non-passport holders to apply for the new IDs. It is the last possibility for them to become eligible to vote.
Bosch also made a new announcement to Albanians – no more family vote this time.
He also said that family voting – whereby one family member casts ballots on behalf of the entire family, or a husband and wife enter the voting booth togetherנshould not be tolerated as it has been in previous elections.
“Excusing such behavior as just being part of the ‘Albanian culture’ is no longer good enough in the year 2009,” he said at the ceremony. “To show that Albanian political players are serious about pursuing their integration ambitions, especially now as a NATO member country, they should all be publicly standing firm and resolute in condemning such practices.”
That has been a serious problem in Albania’s post-communist period and this time, with the tiny Balkan country already a NATO member as of April; its democratic credentials are at stake.
Following an agreement with the ID-producing company ALEAT, Albania’s government gave voters lacking a passport three more days to apply for an ID card.
The opposition on Tuesday also appealed to Albanians to go and apply for the new ID. The opposition fears that many people, 10 percent of eligible voters, would not be able to vote later this month.
Post-communist Albania has never had free and fair elections as required by international standards and the June 28 poll will be a test of its readiness for European Union membership.
Voters need either IDs or a passport to vote.
“The process is going well, but to give a last chance to all Albanians without a valid passport for foreign travel, we have just agreed … to extend the deadline for application for another three days,” Interior Minister Bujar Nishani said.
The deadline expires on June 18 at 22:00 local time and the cards would be distributed up to Election Day.
Just 1.4 million are expected to vote based on past elections, Nishani said, adding his ministry would distribute 1.4 million ID cards.