Opposition complaints IDs turning into a major concern

TIRANA, March 18 – Albania’s opposition raised an alarming voice this week that many Albanians remained and would remain without the new identity cards, a move that could serve as a tool of manipulation on the part of the government.
In that context, the opposition asked the government to give identity cards to voters for free to avoid charges of fraud at the June 28 elections.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha immediately responded saying the process of the new identity cards was on track, turning down the allegations as political.
Holding free and fair elections in line with international standards have never been seen in post-communist Albania.
The international community and Europe have made it clear that the June 28 elections will test the ex-communist Balkan nation’s readiness to join the European Union.
Voters may use either new secure IDs or a passport to vote. According to official figures more than 700,000 Albanians had no passport.
The opposition said that all other citizens should be stopped from applying for the new IDs in order to let those that are without passports to apply until the elections.
“We very much fear the process of giving identity cards to citizens without passports is in danger of failing,” the Socialist leader Edi Rama said.
Rama made such a complaint also to an OSCE/ODIHR mission checking the country’s preparation for the polls.
Rama was worried that many Albanians could be denied the right to vote.
The opposition says only 10 percent of people without passports have applied for ID cards, compared with the government estimate of around 40 percent.
Berisha turned down the opposition’s claims saying that “despite the senseless noise of the opposition that tries to blacken this process, 277,000 citizens have applied for the identity cards. Out of the group of 700,000 citizens without passports, some 400,000 have yet to apply.”
He also invited people to apply for the new IDs, a process that started Jan. 12.
The premier also assured that the best technical infrastructure would be present for the June 28 elections.