Socialists say no elections by the end of January

TIRANA, Nov. 22 – Head of the opposition Socialist Party parliamentary group Pandeli Majko was very harsh Wednesday against holding the local elections by Jan. 21 at the same time with Serbia’s general elections saying that should not coincide with a moment very important for Kosova. United Nations Secretary-General envoy for Kosova talks former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari will present its suggestions on Kosova’s final status after the Serbian elections. “Election date may be postponed because of the current conditions (winter) and also because of the moment of defining the Kosova status,” said Majko on Wednesday. Majko said there was still time to discuss and negotiate on that issue. “For us it would be very difficult to go to elections when the electoral reform has not been made, at a moment when winter has knocked into Albania,” he said. “But I would add also another topic mentioned for the first time, that is that at a moment when we are thinking that around Albania is being discussed the most important issue after 1912 (Albania’s independence year) which is Kosova’s status.” “Before being politicians and think of pragmatic interests we should also judge these important moments and we should start from the election standards up to the historic moment the region is experiencing,” he said. Majko said that he could not imagine that the moment when the decision on Kosova’s final status would be taken Albania would be found in a very complicated political situation, without an electoral reform, with elections contested from the first moment, and at this moment that concern would not be only for Albania but wider. “At this moment not only the official Tirana but also the political one should come a spirit of stability and not of division and polarism, i am not superstitious when I say that on Jan. 21 we expect to discuss the most important issue for Albanians after 1912.”
It seemed that his warning fell in deaf ears. When President Alfred Moisiu was asked about this coincidence a day earlier during a visit to Italy he answered smiling that we should not become superstitious saying that Albania was an independent state. Moisiu mentioned during his visit to Italy that January’s third week would be the timing for local elections in Albania Elections are normally held on Sunday in this country and that means it will be Jan. 21. but on the other side the constitution says local elections should be held between Dec. 20 and Jan. 20. moisiu mentioned this timing again from Rome after the first mention from Warsaw a week ago. After returning from the visit to Italy Moisiu met urgently with the CEC head Clirim Gjata and his deputy Flamur Cato to discuss technical details for the elections. Gjata has repeatedly said they are too late to start election preparation. He has continuously lamed politics for delaying not only the voters’ list but also the preparation of zone commissions with members from different political parties.
Deputy Interior Minister Ferdinand Pone again called aloud to the political parties to decide on the voters’ list and give them the green light to proceed. Another senior official said they needed two-three weeks to prepare the regular list, then make it public and leave it for one week or ten days for the public to check themselves and everything would be okay.
Socialist leader Edi Rama made it clear during his trips to meet supporters around the country that the party did not intend to boycott local elections but that they would not “tolerate elections without standards.” Socialists had threatened earlier this summer of even boycotting the polls unless their conditions for electoral reform were fulfilled. That means there is a change in them. The problem remains what is it to be done in the short time that has remained before holding local polls. Will they, both majority and the opposition, be able to complete the electoral reforms, the recommendations made from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights?