Police keep low profile during elections

TIRANA, Feb. 22 – Albanian police tried to keep a low profile during elections, an experience it seems they have instituted since the last polls. There was practically no significant or big complaint by the political parties on the police presence during voting and afterwards. That was very clearly shown during the Sunday’s night when voters of opposing political affiliations almost clashed in northern Bushat and police kept the situation under control. The same could be said of small incidents in Kombinat in Tirana when police interference was necessary to keep the situation from becoming violent.
Though generally the voting was held in a calm situation, the counting process sparked some physical conflicts which resulted with a man being seriously injured. Police arrested three persons in Ndroq near Tirana after an exchange of hits with chairs resulted that Arjan Hyka, a commissioner of the opposition Socialists, was taken to hospital in a coma. Another smaller incident occurred in southern Gjirokastra, again during the counting process.
Police top officials continuously sent advice to their staff around the country to behave impartially, take care of the voting process, but not inside the voting stations, and stay far from political involvement. In one case police suspended one of their officers, Dede Kroni in northern Shkodra who violated the rules by staying in front of the voting station instead of keeping a distance.