President Moisiu declares he would consider a second term

TIRANA, May 21 – Albanian President Alfred Moisiu said that he would agree to run for a second term.
In an interview Thursday to Top Channel television station, Moisiu said he was not “against” running for a second term but everything depended on the political situation.
“I am not tired because I am used to work during all my life,” he said.
Moisiu also spoke about his two main rivals for the post.
On former opposition Socialist party leader Fatos Nano, Moisiu was very abrupt in answering that “I do not see rivalry with Mr. Nano, I do not consider him a rival.”
While on vice chairman of the governing Democratic Party Bamir Topi, he only said they had cooperated very well together in their respective posts.
But the president also reminded politicians that it would not be good for the country to hold early elections in the event of a failure to elect a new president.
“To me it would not be good to go to new elections because our (electoral) infrastructure is weak and we have many defects we know well,” he said.
Another topic of interest in his answers were his relations with the existing government.
Moisiu declared that his relations with Prime Minister Sali Berisha were only in letters in which they exchange, as opposed to personal meetings.
The two have long been ‘fighting’ and Moisiu expressed disillusion, adding there had been better communications with Berisha’s predecessor, Nano, though contradictions still existed.
The fact that Moisiu has not decreed, but returned, seven draft laws prepared by Berisha’s government and passed by his majority in the parliament, was proof of the lack of communications.
Moisiu insisted that Albanian politics should at last learn to respect the independence of its institutions. The case of the move by the ruling Democrats to fire Prosecutor General Theodhori Sollaku, which was rejected by Moisiu, remains an example of the lack of respect for the governmental institutions.
The president also said that the case with the digital law, which was also opposed by the European Union, showed that he was consistent with European thinking.
“I would like to suggest that politics should stay clear of the judiciary,” he said, also adding that he favored the government’s fight against organized crime and corruption.
“But I am against demagoguery. I am for action,” he said.
Elections remained a delicate issue. He praised the smooth transfer of power in July 2002 following general elections. The president also spoke highly of the orderly behavior from the voters.
However, he considered Feb. 18 local elections as a total failure.
Moisiu hailed the recent initiative by politicians to create a parliamentary commission to draft reforms to the electoral code.
However, Moisiu blamed politics for the country’s poverty and economic situation.
“We have a marvelous people, hard working and intelligent and if politicians would have been more careful, or attentive, our economic level would not be this one we have,” he said.
“Albanian politics should do more to open new jobs and not rotate empty, spending energy in an empty way,” he said.
The Albanian parliament should elect the new president on June 24 with Moisiu’s mandate expiring July 24.
Topi and Nano have declared their candidacies, though Topi said his is not a final decision. Moisiu said Thursday he would be pleased to have the post again. While the Republican Party in the governing coalition has nominated its leader, Sabri Godo, as their pesidential candidate. There are also rumors that long-time Nobel candidate writer, Ismail Kadare, could be a last-minute compromise candidate.
The controversy over who will be the next president is expected to be resolved by the end of June.