TIRANA, Sept. 18 – Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Wednesday invited opposition parties that have resigned the parliament to sit down together to discuss the electoral reform.
In an open letter, he wrote that he is ready for unconditional talks at any time and place the opposition would choose, while the opposition’s Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha’s response was that resolving the political crisis is a bigger priority for Albania.
After repeatedly publicly reiterating his commitment to discuss with the opposition on electoral reform, Rama addressed the latter with an open letter inviting them to begin a discussion process on what he describes as “a common national challenge.”
Rama points out that “the process has already begun in parliament and will end there” but, according to him, “the absence of the main opposition forces in the highest decision-making institution of the Republic does not in itself exclude it from the scope of discussing the reform debate.”
For this reason he invited the main opposition leaders, who resigned the parliament last February, to meet and discuss this common challenge, at any time and place that would suit the opposition, and only if it is “interested in getting involved in the process, unconditionally,” concluded Rama’s letter.
Basha’s response came immediately after Rama’s letter.
“Electoral reform is important, but resolving the political crisis requires political will. Open letters, provocations such as the involvement of 184 file suspects in processes like the electoral reform, show a lack of political will. Therefore, the first step in resolving the crisis should be to acknowledge the grave situation in the country, the lawlessness, where the cooperation of this government and this Prime Minister with organized crime has taken place,” Basha wrote.
Basha’s statement was at the same time a response to the planned meeting, but also to the electoral reform, by the co-chairmanship of the special reform committee and the OSCE in Tirana, regarding which the DP leader did not hide his critical position.
“I still wait for the OSCE in Tirana to comment on the OSCE/ODIHR report, I still wait for its opinion regarding the three mayors with past criminal records, I still wait for its opinion on the grave violations of the Constitution and the law. I think these are important things for Albanians to hear. We have not heard the OSCE speak about either of these or other things directly related to the OSCE mandate,” Basha said.
Later in the evening, Basha called his allies in a meeting, confirming the same attitude towards Rama’s invitation.
