Opposition Democrats call for street protests

TIRANA, Nov. 12 – The Opposition Democratic Party of Tirana Mayor Lulzim Basha has made repeated calls for the start of the anti-government street protests against what it sees are growing ills — poverty, unemployment, as well as the selective destruction of illegal constructions and power cuts to consumers.
Basha is making a nationwide tour in an effort to mobilize supporters to come for a protest Nov. 22 in Tirana. That protest was called by trade unions and that is being used by the political party, which says they will support any anti-government protest.
Opposition Democrats have been boycotting the parliament since July after the physical beating of one of its parliamentarians.
They are asking the governing Socialist-led coalition to apologize for the act and are seeking an international mediation as the support and guarantee for a political deal that would bring them back to parliament.
Meanwhile the governing leftist coalition is repeatedly calling on them to return to parliament, something also done from the international community, and the European Union.
Ilir Meta, parliament speaker and leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration, part of the governing coalition, repeated his call during the last days.
The Socialists and Meta’s SMI have also taken other steps like creating some investigative parliamentary commissions asked from the opposition, changing some parliamentary regulations rules giving more air to the opposition and the like.
“That is a very cooperating act from the majority. It maybe is not found in any other parliament of a democratic country but again it is better to have more democracy than more limitations,” Meta said.