World to Albania: hold free, fair polls

TIRANA, June 19 – The United States and the European Union said Albania’s elections should be in line with international standards and are considering them an important test of the country’s democratic maturity.
Albania will hold parliamentary election on June 28 in which Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the governing Democratic Party will be challenged by the main opposition Socialist Party leader and Tirana Mayor, Edi Rama.
“We once again express our hope and expectation that the upcoming elections are in full accordance with international standards,“ said a US embassy statement.
“The elections on 28 June will be an important test of Albania’s democratic maturity and readiness to move forward toward closer integration with the EU, “ a statement of the Czech embassy said. The Czech’s currently hold the EU presidency.
Brussels said they would closely watch the election process adding, “It is our hope, and in Albania’s interests, that these elections are peaceful and that they are judged to meet international standards.”
Some 500 observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and other international organizations will be monitoring the June 28 election.
Both Washington and Brussels urged Albania’s political parties to maintain a peaceful environment and also ensure that all eligible voters be entitled to cast their ballot.
Albanian electoral campaigns often are tense and marred by violence and irregularities.
“We, the EU, are watching the elections process closely. It is our hope, and in Albania’s interests, that these elections are peaceful and that they are judged to meet international standards,” wrote the EU statement. “We, the EU, urge the Government of Albania and political parties to work together to ensure that the elections are conducted in a peaceful manner, and that all those who want to vote on 28 June are able to do so. And we encourage all Albanian citizens who wish to exercise their democratic right and to vote in these elections to make sure they have the necessary ID documents to do so.”
“We urge the Government of Albania and all political participants to work together to maintain a peaceful environment where all Albanians who wish to do so can vote with a calm and peaceful mind on June 28th,” said the US embassy statement.
Last week, a regional leader of a right-wing Christian Democratic Party was killed in a car explosion, the previous week, a man was fatally shot following an argument over a campaign poster, and in May an opposition lawmaker was killed.
The opposition is complaining that the government is exploiting the distribution of new identity cards, which together with passports are the only documents to be used in voting, in order to manipulate the process.
The nation wants to show that it can hold free-and-fair elections to further its goal of forging closer ties to Western Europe. Albania formally joined NATO this year and applied for candidate status at the European Union.