As far as I and the Socialist Party is concerned this is the last time we sit on a table so heavily mediated by internationals,-Prime Minister Rama said unexpectedly, commenting on the final achievement of consensus over the Electoral Reform, the very first condition on the list for holding the first inter-governmental conference for the accession negotiations.
Prime Minister Rama firmly declared that this was the last time that the international community would be engaged at such intensity to achieve what should have been a domestic conversation. Rama said that he was committed not to do this again and he hoped that international valuable partners would understand and appreciate this development. Rama went at length at describing the reaction that people rightly had at the process of convening almost by force domestic decision makers in a foreign embassy and holding them for hours to reach an agreement that didn’t amount to much. In the end the agreement about the Code, yet to be voted in the Parliament, had relatively modest tweaks.
Indeed this kid of engagement from the internationals is seen only in countries or area heavily involved in armed conflicts. In countries where there usually is civil war or some other systemic grand scale violent battle. Albania is not a country at war. There is no need for a Rambouillet or Dayton agreement. No peace process is at stake. Therefore this happening in Albania is a bitter evidence of the lack of political and democratic maturity, which should have been achieved after three decades of transition.
“Next time when such a dialogue and negotiation is needed we can convene at the President’s office despite the controversies we have with him- Rama said treading into his emblematic targeted humor- or we can meet in the office of the chief mufti, or at baba Mondi [head of the Bektashi community] or perhaps at the protestants which are considered neutral.”
This strong, colorful declaration indeed infused with interest the recent meeting of the National Council for EU Integration which usually passes as a routine one. The events of this platform that gathers decision makers, civil society, MPs, independent institutions and others are mostly filled with cliché speeches and don’t muster much attention.
If this approach is taken seriously by all political actors and the international partners it might signal the end of an era. This is the right thing to do. The lack of capacity for dialogue for even the most trifle item on the agenda is enraging for the spectator of politics which is left baffled and disappointed yet again. The spectacle of politicians being told to enter in foreign territory and “be in the room until they can make peace with their siblings” is not just ridiculous, but also decimating.
Truth be told, Prime Minister Rama is also one of the main actors that has contributed to the aggressive politicization and the entrenchment of the zero-sum game political affront in Albania. He and his party stands in equal measure to all the others when it comes to boycott, sabotage and political extremism against agreements, compromise and conversation.
That said one can hope that the Prime Minister’s words can indeed come true. The other representatives of political parties should subscribe to this commitment as well. International partners should value this responsibility and local ownership, if it relay materializes, and not seek to retain their strong influential power which at the end come at the expense of the development of Albanian democracy.
The culture and mentality of counting on the international community to step in when push comes to shove is not only outdated but outright dangerous for the democratic maturity of Albania and prolongs the painful political transition. This has trickled down to the public whose trust is placed now firmly on the international community to find solutions, to arbiter disputes and to force the politicians to sit down around a table.
The international chaperoning should come to an end. If the rights steps are taken into this direction then at least we can say that this process of the electoral reform was at least worth for something.
