US Senate urges free and fair polls in Albania

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 24 – The United States Senate voted unanimously to adopt a Senate Foreign Relations Committee resolution expressing the hope that the June 28 parliamentary elections will be free and fair and help to improve the transparency of democracy in Albania.
Committee Chairman John Kerry and Ranking Member Dick Lugar, along with Senators Benjamin Cardin, Jeanne Shaheen, Ted Kaufman, and Joe Lieberman, issued the following joint statement announcing the Senate’s passage of Resolution 182:
“America’s vested interest in Albania did not end with their acceptance to NATO,” said the senators in a joint statement. “Now more than ever, we must be committed to seeing an Albanian election that is credible in the eyes of that nation’s people as well as its European partners. As allies, we are deeply invested in the country’s successes. In the final days before Albanians head to the polls in their country, we hope all parties involved work together to hold a fair and legitimate election process.”