Opposition asks for international support to end deadlock

TIRANA, Nov. 22 – Opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rama has sent a letter to ambassadors of the United States and the EU member countries asking for help to resolve the country’s political deadlock.
Rama wrote that the opposition’s new stand aimed at compromise was to look into the June 2009 elections materials, by giving a full mandate to an investigating commission within parliament.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the governing Democratic Party has rejected this offer as unacceptable, saying it would amount to an “unrestricted investigation” by the panel.
Berisha has also insisted that the Socialists should send the request to the parliament, so that they proceed in a formal and legal way.
Rama, on his side, said that if the opposition gets permission to look into the electoral materials, it will be ready to work on electoral reforms ahead of the May 2011 local elections.
At the same time the opposition has said they will resume street protests this Friday in the central city of Elbasan.
They complain of vote count manipulation during last year’s parliamentary elections when they lost.
First they asked for a partial recount. After 15 months of protests in different formats they gave in with the last offer, saying they do not want a partial recount any more but just a full investigation of the election documentation. That was done as a step toward compromise.
The political deadlock may be considered as the main shortcoming which urged the European Union not to agree to give to the country the candidate status it had requested for.