As the electoral college judges make a decision and politicians react to it, the best outcome would be bringing back certainty in local government and the country as a whole.
As complaints drag on in the results of the local elections, the political temperature has dropped a few degrees, allowing for common Albanians to look beyond politics for few days.
But the ruling of the electoral college will come soon after this newspaper goes to press. There could be two outcomes out of this. The first is that the decision would further inflame protests on the side of the opposition, bring more boycott of institutions and other similar measures, which unfortunately have become the new normal since 2009.
The second outcome would be that no matter what the judges decide, their decision is accepted by both sides and brings back a degree of political stability in Albania.
There is no doubt a lot of pressure on the electoral college judges from both sides to rule in their favor, but the judges should rule on their best interpretation of the country’s laws, nothing more, nothing less.
One important element, that more than in the hands of electoral judges, is in the hands of Albania’s immature political class, is bringing back certainty in the lives of Albanians. That’s because, uncertainty over politics has been in many ways transformed about uncertainty about life in general, at a time when the economy is still weak. (Not to mention the growing effects of economic unrest in neighboring Greece which experts note will result in growing problems for Albania.)
On the street level, one has to wonder that if the country’s entire police force has to be at rallies and protests, who is protecting common Albanians on the street or making sure the country’s laws are respected elsewhere? Or, if local governments don’t function, who is keeping watch over their duties?
One example is the massive construction of illegal piers that took place on the coastline during the election. Businesses built these in a hurry because they knew they would not be able to do so in normal times. This is only one example of election costs few people are thinking about.
On the business side, no one likes insecurity either. While no hard statistics are available, there is no doubt a growing trend exists where businesses are shutting down either due to the economy or simply because their owners don’t feel secure enough of their business in Albania and are transferring their business activities and capital elsewhere. No one can even measure how many businesses thinking of investing in Albania have stepped back due to the political unrest.
So, uncertainty has huge costs for Albania. A first step out of it comes with the decision of the electoral college, the second step comes with how the opposition and the central government react it. There are many more steps Albania needs to take to move forward past political uncertainty. But move on it must.
