Upcoming census still surrounded by controversy

TIRANA, Sept. 20 – Albania will conduct its census next month and the debate from some civic groups is still ongoing on its reliability.
The Constitutional Court decided that asking Albanians about their ethnicity was not necessary, something that pleased the Red-And-Black Alliance. But the government said that did not affect the census.
Albanians are free to decide whether or not they will answer questions regarding their ethnicity and religious affiliation.
There have also been calls from some minority organizations like the Union Party of Human Rights (KEAD) and the General Board of the Greek minority organization “Omonia” accusing the Albanian government of resetting methods and practices employed during the communist dictatorship. They considered the judgment of the Constitutional Court as a human right violation for the Greek minority and threatened to boycott the census.
Meanwhile the government is going on with the preparations for the census.
The European Union delegation office in Tirana also said that holding the census is necessary to get accurate data on the country’s population and its characteristics.