Facing mounting external and internal pressures, Albania’s political rivals have quietly agreed to cooperate, ending two-year political deadlock.
TIRANA, Nov. 14 – Albania’s two main political parties have come to an agreement that quietly ended the political deadlock that has kept the country’s politics, parliament and EU integration hostage for at least two years. Democrat and Socialist leaders in parliament signed the three-point agreement, opening the way for a return to normality in parliament.
The agreement will allow laws that need super majority votes to pass, as well as sets the formation of an electoral reform commission and changes the parliament’s rulebook to mimic the rules of the European Parliament.
Albanians met the agreement with cautious optimism, but skepticism remains high based on the confrontational experiences of the past two years, which, if repeated, can easily make the newly-found consensus fall apart later.
Albanian leaders and international community representatives hailed the agreement as an important step forward.
Albanian President Bamir Topi said he welcomed the return of political and institutional dialogue between the majority governing parties and the opposition.”Political dialogue for institutional reforms, though belated, is a major challenge for Albanian politics and for achieving EU membership standards,” Topi said. The president added undertaking a comprehensive dialogue and having clear political will be needed for the timely implementation of promised reforms specified in the European Commission’s Albania Progress Report.
The OSCE Presence in Albania also greeted the agreement, with its mission head, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, saying the agreement would advance the agenda of approving important laws for Albania.
Voter, EU pressure led to consensus
After two years of virtual deadlock and a political screaming match the change toward consensus came quietly. Political experts note there were was simply too much pressure on both sides not to budge two years ahead of the next parliamentary elections where both sides will likely face an angry electorate over failure to make progress in the EU membership bid and the growing effects of the eurozone crisis. Many Albanians have also become skeptical of the political class altogether.
But is likely the final push, behind the scenes, came from Brussels.
EU’s Director General for Enlargement Stefano Sannino visited Tirana twice over a short period. In his latest trip he delivered a letter from Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule, addressed directly to Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Socialist leader Edi Rama. The letter calls for resuming work on the 12 key priorities set by the European Union for Albania. These key priorities include the points of agreement reached by the two parties this week.
The new agreement is unlikely to change the damage done to Albania’s EU hopes over the past two years, however.
“Although not realistic to consider the possibility that Albania will be given candidate status at the end of this year, I am equally convinced that a rapid and determined action by the Albanian political forces in the context of a constructive dialogue … can have a positive effect on how the Council will assess the opportunities for Albania to make progress in moving toward the European Union,” Fule’s letter noted.
What the agreement means
The agreement reached and signed by the heads of party groups represented in parliament has three key points: establishing an electoral reform committee; changing the rules on which the parliament operates; and setting a timetable for adopting law that require three-fifths votes. These points were the result of a mixture of requests from the opposition, the governing parties and EU officials.
The electoral reform commission and the working groups formed to implement the other two points will have equal representation between the ruling and opposition parties.
The third point is particularly important for approving super majority laws which have been pending for years, like the administrative courts bill which the opposition has kept stalled despite overwhelming business community and international support. There are several other laws on that list, including some changes to the criminal code. There is a commitment in the agreement to have everything approved by March, and probably sooner, though the ruling parties wanted a shorter timeline. In the next couple of weeks there will be a series of minor law changes that require the super majority to be passed, like changes related to sea, air and road traffic codes, but the important and debatable laws will come back later.
Parliamentary Speaker Josefina Topalli went in front of reporters in a celebratory mode after the agreement was reached. “Today we are set to begin work on unblocking the situation that has halted the integration process for two years,” she said. “Today, all parties have assumed the responsibility that belongs to them.”
The Socialist leader in parliament, Gramoz Ruci, was in a more somber mood, as he spelled out the three points in front of reporters, a sign the Socialists might have not come the agreement that willingly after stalling for two years. Yet asked by reporters if there was now consensus thanks to the agreement, he ceded to use the word that has missed in Albanian politics for so long. “Of course, there was consensus,” Ruci said, as he walked away from reporters.
Confrontational politics likely not over
Thanks to the agreement real work will finally take place in parliament starting this week. But the agreement did not change the general confrontational mood in parliament and it commissions. Socialist MPs walked of several commission hearings this week to express displeasure. These included a hearing about reappointing Ardian Fullani as central bank governor. Socialist deputies also walked out of a previous meeting of economy commission to protest against the absence of the finance minister.
But more importantly and related to the agreement, discussions about how to pass super majority bills that need opposition votes turned confrontational in the legal commission.
Socialist Party’s justice critic Fatmir Xhafa told his Democratic Party colleagues they can forget about passing laws that have not have been carefully examined by the opposition.
“If you think we are here just make up your numbers, forget about it,” he said.
A new phase for Albanian politics?
The agreement might be part of a larger shift in Albanian politics that attempts to engage voters that have been fed up with the deadlock of the past few years. The Socialist Party’s announcement earlier this month of a new left-leaning program that would turn the current flat tax into a progressive tax, lower public debt levels, reforming the health and pension systems – and the fact that future elections are closer than the past ones – appear to have channeled politics back to electoral mode, challenging parties to debate on ideas rather than just accusations of ballot rigging and corruption.
What the agreement of parliamentary group leaders includes:
Establishing an electoral reform committee
Change in parliamentary rules to mimic those of European Parliament
Setting a timetable for adopting laws needing three-fifths vote
