Opposition set to resume protests

TIRANA, Sep. 28 – Albania’s main opposition Socialist Party and its allies say they are set on staging new protests in October in response to what they have described as negligence by the government in addressing issues stemming from the June 2009 general elections.
Socialist leader Edi Rama has been on an ongoing tour around the country in the last two weeks. In all the meetings he holds in different towns with his supporters he tells them that resuming protests seems to be the only way out of the current stagnant situation and the political crisis that has engulfed the country.
The Socialists claim vote count manipulation in the last year’s parliamentary elections while the governing Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha oppose their request for partial recount saying that would violate the Constitution and the laws.
Last week representatives of the Socialist Party and smaller parties met to unify their positions.
Those leaders said the opposition was looking for transparency in the electoral process, adding the government continued to ignore all initiatives to find a solution.
Meanwhile the Socialists have also boycotted all voting in parliament since July. That is their last political move to press their demand, following the boycott of the parliament, street protests, hunger strike and lobbying abroad.
Both main political groupings resumed their dialogue in late July and made some attempts in early September. But no results have come out.
For the moment it seems everything is blocked and that is also affecting the country’s need for the much-needed reforms along the country’s integration process into the European Union.
In another show this week both political parties resumed harsher tones and blame on each other when Washington clearly told them they will stop funding of the Administrative Court project unless they approve the law by the end of the month.
While the governing Democrats insisted they should vote the existing draft, the Socialists said that voting should be part of a package that also includes the vote transparency. They had earlier said they feared the new court would be politically exploited by the government.
The country is at a critical moment in its integration process.
While Tirana is expecting Brussels to give the go-ahead for the visa liberalization, which seems very likely to come by early November, Brussels is also considering its request for the candidate status. With all these developments in the country that have raised serious concern at the EU countries, it seems very unlikely the tiny Balkan country gets that status in November.