The British Ambassador Duncan Norman echoed today the previous calls made by the European Union and the United States, for clean candidates in the next parliamentary elections in Albania. “The deadline to submit candidate lists for MPs for the 25 April election is fast approaching. Parties must ensure that candidates who want to represent the people are not involved with organised crime or corruption or directly connected to those who,” wrote the Ambassador on Twitter.
In the last days, the EU Ambassador Luigi Soreca, the U.S Ambassador Yuri Kim, and even the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, have all asked Albanian political parties to take responsibility for the integrity of the names that will be proposed as candidates in the next general parliamentary elections. The decriminalization law, prohibits individuals that have been involved in 80 different criminal offences, to participate in elections as candidates for public office. In the past general elections and municipality elections, parties from all the political spectrum have not respected the law, introducing as candidates individuals with a criminal past.
