TIRANA TIMES
TIRANA, Dec. 22 – Prime Minister Sali Berisha is using criminals to fabricate charges against opposition lawmakers in an effort to intimidate their political life. That’s according to opposition Socialist party lawmaker Erjon Brace has now accused the leader of the governing Democratic Party in a press conference.
Brace said that he had received an envelope with a postcard and a CD and had been threatened they would be made public soon.
The lawmaker said that the CD alleged that together with the party leader Edi Rama they were both involved in drug trafficking and two murders. He said that was sent from a person named Daut Kadriovski, wanted in 13 countries as part of a criminal gang.
“Kadriovski is politically exploited by Sali Berisha and his occult structures to slander the main representatives of the Albanian politics in Tirana and the region,” said Brace at a news conference.
Brace also said that Berisha had accused him of links to Kadriovski when he had spoken at the parliament last month.
A day earlier he and Rama had met with President Bamir Topi to make present the insinuations.
In another development, the opposition turned its focus to Agriculture Minister Genc Ruli accusing him of abuse of post when he was minister of economy in a deal with a company in the chromium industry.
The opposition has been targeting cabinet members and governing Democratic party lawmakers for their alleged corruption. They mention many facts that would normally be the main proof of what the prosecutor’s office could open a case. They also called on Prosecutor General Ina Rama to start investigating Ruli’s case.
Soon after, Edi Paloka of the governing Democrats came out to say Brace’s words were only signs of the internal fight among the opposition Socialists and their links to the drug mafia rings.
It is more of what Albanians have been hearing a lot this year.
The opposition accuses the government of bad management, wants vote transparency and has practically boycotted the parliament. That means that the country is lacking behind in its steps of integration into the European Union. This week governing Democrats also turned down a request from the opposition Socialists to investigate last year’s electoral documentation, something which takes their fight to the starting point.
It seems that governing Democrats feel confident now, ahead of the local elections next May, after the country started to enjoy the visa liberalization since last week. They consider it their own victory and may well exploit to get voters.
Meanwhile the opposition Socialists is making plans how to enter the local elections. There are rumors that they may produce some ‘inventions’ in their fight, like withdrawing all their commissioners, blocking the polling stations or national roads.
They have, meanwhile stated protest rallies in the main cities where they ask for the government resignation, blaming it for bad management and corruption with the public money. They want a vote transparency but have not threatened with boycott of the upcoming elections. Opposition coalition partners seem more aggressive in their efforts. Many of them say that the opposition should take the government out by force, with street protests.
But are they capable of motivating the common people at that level? For the moment that does not seem so likely.
The governing Democrats say that such opposition small partners try to push the Socialists in the street fight though they cannot elect one single leader at any commune, meaning the3y are powerless.
Europe, the United States and the international community in general seem to have somewhat withdrawn from their direct mediation, pressure on the Albanian political groupings.
EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele has made it clear that it is up to Albanian politicians to resolve the political deadlock, also warning that is postponing the country’s efforts of integration into the bloc.
Senior US Department of State official Tom Countryman urged this week a fair dialogue among the political parties. He urged that everyone in Albania should now take care of how the upcoming elections are to be held. He said that Washington was expecting a responsible leadership.
