Parliament passes controversial law on digital broadcasting

TIRANA, May 29 – The Albanian parliament, late Monday, passed the law on digital broadcasting amidst much debate from the opposition, which boycotted the voting process.
The law was passed with 72 votes after the ruling Democrats were supported by the Christian Democrats but abandoned by the Human Rights Union party and other lawmakers.
The opposition boycotted the vote, after first saying that the law was compiled purely to attack the Top media group because it has been critical of the government, an accusation that was harshly rebuked by Prime Minister Sali Berisha.
Earlier this month, the parliament postponed a debate on the draft, following advice from the European Commission that all interested parties should be included in discussions.
Following that, all parties were invited to the parliamentary media commission.
However, the commission passed the draft late Saturday night without the presence of the opposition lawmakers, an act which was considered unconstitutional.
The draft law remains a divisive issue, pitting the governing majority of the Democratic-led government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha against the opposition Socialist party led by Tirana Mayor Edi Rama.
Berisha said the law is in keeping with the advice from the European Union, but he also harshly attacked the owners of Top Media group, saying their business practices were illegal with their DigitaAlb transmissions and sale of its package, and also with coffee imports, the main business of the Top Media owner.
Astrit Patozi of the Democrats, and a member of the media commission, said the law only aimed to install rules in the market and was not meant to punish any individual media group.
The government has also been in a public battle with the private Top Media group, as well as with other private television channels, cutting their broadcasts in the north and the south, claiming they were only licensed to be locally televised, not nationally.
At least one Democratic lawmaker, Spartak Ngjela, openly opposed the draft saying it was clearly an attack against media more typical of a communist mentality, suggesting the premier supported such anti-democratic tactics.
Nikolle Lesi of the Christian Democrats insisted, and won, as most of his amendments were accepted by the majority.
But the opposition parliamentary group head, Ben Blushi, said the law was drafted to punish Top Media group for criticizing the government’s inability to improve the economy.
Blushi also said that Berisha was trying to do the same thing, on the same day as the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who closed down an opposition television station criticizing his governing.
“Berisha returns dictatorship,” was the main headline of the Shqip newspaper of the Top Media group. An editorial also reminded readers that 11 years ago Berisha, then the country’s president, physically attacked opposition leaders using police during a protest against manipulation of the vote at Skanderbeg Square.
It was not clear what the opposition and the media outlets would do, fearing the negative impact of the new rules. Very likely they will appeal to the Constitutional Court. The opposition seems not to trust that institution as the new head of the court, to be elected this week, also belongs to the ruling Democrats.