Solana concerned on local elections in Albania

BRUSSELS, Jan. 4 – European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana on Thursday expressed his concern on the forthcoming municipal elections in Albania. Solana expressed his concern on the “continued disagreement between the Government and the opposition in Albania on the preparations for the forthcoming local elections.” Solana said that local elections were of primary importance and not holding them according to international standards would negatively affect Albania’s integration efforts into the bloc.
“Failure to ensure democratic elections would risk doing harm to Albania’s progress towards Europe and would reflect negatively on the political forces in the country,” said Solana urging leaders of both the Government and the opposition to “take their responsibility towards the citizens of Albania and work together constructively in order to ensure orderly elections within the constitutional deadlines.” That is a repeated appeal from the international community to the Albanian political leaders to take responsibility and avoid the lack of trust among them.
Solana said that Albanian politicians should carry out and implement ‘the electoral issues on which agreement has already been reached’ adding that “the outstanding technical issues resolved quickly by a negotiated common accord.”
In a clear message to the opposition boycott of the local polls Solana urged them to participate. “I also look forward to the full and active participation of all political forces in the local elections themselves.”
Albania’s local elections have been set for Jan. 20 but the opposition Socialist-led coalition has declared it will not take part in them unless the governing Democratic Party-led coalition improves the voters’ list and cancel use of birth certificates they consider illegally distributed to manipulate the elections. They had asked for postponement of the polls, something which seems to have been agreed since the end of the year last December. The problems remain the birth certificates for which both sides do not agree hat the opponent suggests.