Political class must not forget election lessons

Eight months ago, Albanian voters spoke clearly: They wanted change – not only in who gets to run the country but also in the way the political class behaves. Today, as the political class returns to its old bag of tricks, it should not forget some important lessons that came out of last year’s general elections.
Simply put, Albanians want things done differently in the future. They want an accountable government, functioning independent institutions and meritocracy in the civil service over politically- based employment. Also, an important from voters last year was that they would not tolerate advancing personal interests at the expense of the country’s well being and its efforts to join the European Union. Unfortunately, there are already indications some of those lessons have not
been learned by the political class. Albania’s main opposition Democratic Party has held a rally in Tirana to protest what it says is the deteriorating governance in Albania and the inability of the governing coalition to fulfill any of its promises. Such a rally might be premature only five months after handing over power to the Socialists following a humiliating electoral defeat, but the government could be in for a rough ride over the next year as the Democrats justly try to capitalize on growing concern among Albanians with a perceived rise in the cost of living and crime as well as on the anger of hundreds people fired from their jobs in the civil service and other state- provided employment.
While many of the people sacked might have been hired based on their political affiliation, one has to wonder whether their training and experience will simply be replaced with fresh and unqualified activists from the other side. That is not doing things differently. It simply means using the same method under different leadership. The Socialists say that won’t be the case, insisting they want to hire the best the country has to offer. That still The Democrats’ anger over the fact that the new law on the civil service is understandable. The law was approved by consensus before the elections, but its implementation kept being delayed by the government on a technicalities, despite a Constitutional Court verdict that ordered that the law be put into use immediately. The delays were clearly designed to withdraw protection from the civil service employees the Socialist-led government wants to replace.
Likewise, the sacking of the head of the High Inspectorate for Disclosure and Audit of Assets Zana Xhuka, an official with strong ties to the opposition Democratic Party, is also a repeat of the same methods the previous government used. The justification that she lacks the specific educational qualifications required by law is just an excuse. Xhuka was sacked because of her political affiliation. It would be best if such an important institution in the war against corruption was headed by a truly independent official – however parliament has already replaced Xhuka with no public discussion allowed on the nomination.
Using nominally independent institutions for political means has been a regular feature in post-communist Albania and has been practiced by both sides of the political divide. The new government does not seem immune to the trend.
The worst thing out of this story is that the opposition of work on the territorial reform initiated by the government with the support of Albania’s international partners. The reform is vital for Albania, and it should not be held hostage to political bickering.
The opposition had requested a veto in the parliamentary commission, a request the governing parties fulfilled, but the Democrats said they won’t participate regardless – because like the Socialists before them – boycotting important reforms to extract concessions on other issues is another trend in Albanian politics. In the end, it will likely end up hurting country’s efforts to join the European Union, as these are EU mandated reforms. It appears the political class, on both sides, has yet to understand the key message of last year’s election: out with the old, in with the new.