Socialists to start explanation to polls deformation

TIRANA, Feb. 8 – The opposition Socialist Party says it will organize protests if talks on overcoming the current political stalemate, mediated by President Bamir Topi, fail.
At the same time their leader Edi Rama said they will be engaged and committed in a broad explanation of the reasons why they should first clarify the manipulation of the previous general elections, before the country moves ahead in its democracy and also the integration process.
Opposition lawmakers have boycotted the work of parliament since September, insisting on a thorough investigation into general elections last June, which they say were marred by serious violations.
Both the SP and the ruling Democratic Party have agreed to participate in talks mediated by Topi to try and overcome the crisis. Topi is expected to begin contacting representatives of the two sides Monday.
Rama told journalists last weekend they will start a trip all around the country to explain to the people the situation of the country, its economy, the reasons of the political crisis and so on.
The Socialists have held street protests since October but they will now turn to this way of protest.
That likely is another way they will try to gather support from the population countrywide before moving on again to the streets.
They insisted they will not be back to the parliament which they say is not legitimate following the vote manipulation.
The opposition explained and justified the parliament boycott as a medicine for the election illness.
Post-communist Albania has never held fully free and fair elections in the last 19 years.
The international community has always said they were better than the previous but still not in full compliance with the international democratic standards.
But the governing Democratic party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha has insisted that ballot boxes claimed from the opposition cannot be open, recounted as that would break the laws.
So it is the ‘duty’ of the international community trying to push both sides and set the country’s president as a mediator in such a political game.
Both sides have said they are not against the dialogue but in fact they do not change from their stoic stand – one to open and the other not to open the ballot boxes.
That makes the job of the president very difficult and it would not be impossible that the round table planned for this Saturday fails. Then it will again be the international community that will try to find another way of solving this crises that is taking the country towards a freeze of all political life and more.
Rama said they would be in protests every day and that they were “ready to take the battle for democracy to the end, to give an end to the corrupted elections, to have the possibility to freely vote and not being conditioned from anything.”
President Bamir Topi has summoned the government and main opposition parties to talks on alleged electoral fraud Saturday, Feb. 13, in a bid to end a months-long political crisis.
That was made after intensive talks with the two political leaders and also the international community.
The main opposition Socialists have boycotted Parliament for months, blocking most legislative work and staging large protests.
They claim Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s Democrats manipulated vote counting in the June 28 national elections and demand a recount which the government has ruled out.
The Democrats control 75 of parliament’s 140 seats; the Socialists 65.