Polls already blocked

TIRANA, Dec. 21 – Thursday would be the launching day for the electoral campaign. Nothing happened, including the governing Democratic Party-led coalition of Prime Minister Sali Berisha. Opposition Socialists and their smaller allies did not register to run for the elections, though they declined to call this a boycott. They say they will not take part if Democrats do not postpone them to give more time for the correction of the voters’ list and issue new birth certificates.
Berisha has repeatedly said they do not intend to change the election date claiming the process is working well. Vice Interior Minister Ferdinand Poni said that 22 municipalities have already compiled the lists. Berisha said that many local authorities are not taking part at the act of sabotage supported from the Socialists. He has repeatedly called on Socialists to end the boycott, claiming that the boycott was a personal choice from Socialist leader Edi Rama trying to preserve his post of Tirana mayor.
On the other side Socialists claim that these elections cannot be considered legal because they are based on an illegal electoral code that served only for the 2005 general elections. Leader Edi Rama said that normally lists need at least 85 days to be compiled, checked and finally approved. There have been offers from the Socialist Movement for Integration to postpone the date to Feb. 20. there have been behind-the-doors meeting between LSI’s Ilir Meta and Democrats leaders like Bamir Topi and Ilir Rusmajli. No results at all.
Both sides are trying to exploit quotes from international personalities as if favoring them. Both sides use EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn’s quote though it says clearly that the government should improve standards and the opposition should not boycott elections, but they should both collaborate to improve the situation.
There are efforts from the smaller parties on both sides to reconcile the squabbling politics. Though it is clear that if all smaller parties joined forces (from both sides) they could make up a factor that would oblige the two big parties to sit down and listen to them. The problem is they cannot join each other.
At this moment the Central Election Commission, or KQZ, is loudly shouting to all of them to bring candidates, to help prepare the lists, to do everything according to the laws. That is also supported by the country’s President Alfred Moisiu that seems to be between two sharp knives and in contradiction with both of them, whatever he says or does.
In a last effort Meta’s LSI, Nard Noah’s Christian Democrats and Vangjel Dule’s Human Rights Union Party joined forces and made an appeal to Moisiu to urgently convene a roundtable for the election date. Berisha responded clearly that Moisi had already consumed his competencies by decreeing the Jan. 20 voting day.