Politics in a Road to Nowhere

TIRANA, Nov. 23 – Opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rama on Tuesday made public an offer that he says could resolve the political deadlock in Albania. Rama had made the offer in a letter sent to Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the governing Democratic Party.
The country is in a political stalemate since parliamentary elections in June last year with the opposition claiming vote count manipulation.
The Socialists now want a total investigation of the electoral documentation, leaving aside their previous demand for partial vote recount of some ballot boxes they claim were manipulated.
That seems a big step ahead from the opposition trying to reach a compromise.
The letter was also sent to the European Union leaders and those of the European Parliament and Council of Europe.
Last weekend Rama went to Brussels to meet with EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele to talk on ways to resolve the political crisis.
The project Rama has handed over is signed by 30 lawmakers.
The opposition has also announced that it will resume street protests this Friday in central Elbasan.
Berisha had insisted that the Socialists should send it to the parliament.
The premier has also made it clear that they would not discuss anything that goes beyond the constitution and the laws. He has also said explicitly there is no unlimited investigation that could start.
That is likely the reason now the Socialists mention a total and not unlimited investigation.
What the experience has shown these last 15 months of the political infighting is that Albanian political opposing groupings do not accept each other or their ideas.
It would be no surprise if the Democrats would now say the same thing as before _ directing the opposition to make their complaints to the courts, Constitutional Court and even the Venice Commission to resolve the case.
Meanwhile the country needs reforms of the electoral system. (In fact the opposition says there is no need for such a reform if the existing electoral code is applied correctly.)
Next year in May local elections are to be held and there is no much time for any compromise on such a reform.