Socialists boycott partial election

TIRANA, Oct 14 – The opposition Socialist Party decided they will boycott the Nov. 15 partial election continuing their reaction policy toward what they claim as ‘deformation’ of the June 28 parliamentary poll.
The party’s leadership decided earlier this week they will not take part at the elections held in some towns and communes whose former top officials have now become parliamentarians.
They said this is another effort they are undertaking in their quest for the transparency of the electoral process.
At the same time the party leadership announced that the next protest is to be held this Friday in the city of Berat.
The Socialists are protesting against the lack of transparency of the June 28 election. They want the parliament to create an investigative commission to probe the ballot boxes in many areas they claim have been manipulated.
For that reason they are also holding a petition getting signatures of thousands of people to ask for the opening of the ballot boxes.
They also want to lead the parliamentary commission.
Governing Democratic Party’s Prime Minister Sali Berisha has agreed they lead the commission but he also says that ballot boxes cannot be opened. Berisha always refers to statements from international officials saying that the vote was generally free and fair.
The opposition considers such a policy as the right one to get the country’s democracy on track. The opposition believes that such moves will give a clear signal to Berisha he cannot do whatever he likes despite having the numbers in parliament.
Many draft laws will require the three-fifth, or 83 votes to be passed, which Berisha cannot secure on his own.
Berisha’s Democrats and allies have 75 seats and the opposition Socialists 65 seats in the 140-seat parliament.
But a few individual leaders and lawmakers at the Socialist Party leadership have opposed that and also their party leader Edi Rama, saying such moves only take their supporters away.
At the same time western ambassadors call on the opposition to use the parliament as the proper place to hold their political fight and not street protests.
They are likely afraid that Albania, now a NATO member country, may again be involved in a harsh political fight that often has turned into violent street protests.
The tiny Balkan country is now asking also to become a European Union member and has applied last April for candidate status.
It is also expected that the EU reconsider its status on the free-visa regime next summer, a much-promised proposal from Berisha and his allies.