TIRANA, June 4 – The U.S. Ambassador to Albania Yuri Kim has announced that an agreement by the parties has been reached as regards the electoral reform, making significant progress. After another lengthy meeting with the Political Council on Wednesday in the premises of the U.S. Residence, Ambassador Kim spoke of a “very good agreement” which the opposition needs to go through with, for the sake of Albania’s progress.
Although the deadline for the conclusion of talks on the reform was set on Wednesday, opposition representatives Oerd Bylykbashi of the DP and Petrit Vasili of the LSI, demanded more time, beyond the remaining hours of the evening.
In the presence of EU Ambassador Luigi Soreca and British Ambassador Duncan Norman, the U.S. Ambassador stated that “in an important negotiation for the future of Albania, every party is required to give so that Albania to win. Every party gave and each party won. The people can win even more.” Ambassador Kim did not refrain from praising the Socialist Paty which, she stated, “have responsibility to give more than others, and indeed they did.”
Ambassador Kim further emphasized that the deal could put Albania “firmly on the path to EU membership.” According to her, the deal contains measures that address the concerns raised by ODHIR as well as steps not recommended by it, but which would “represent a step forward for free and fair elections in Albania.”
However, DP leader Lulzim Basha later hinted that there was another issue to be agreed on, implying that the opposition has not fully agreed to the deal. “Progress has been made towards agreement on electoral administration. One issue remains unresolved. I want to assure the Albanians that the united opposition will do everything to ensure a free and fair vote,” Basha said.
U.S. Ambassador Yuri Kim has been widely engaged in electoral reform talks between the ruling party and the opposition for some time now, continuously urging for the representatives to reach a quick agreement. Her presence in Political Council meetings has been evident alongside EU Ambassador Soreca and British Ambassador Duncan, who have made efforts to assist the parties in reaching the agreement on the Reform.
