Albania crisis – Socialist majority to ask European conservatives EPP for help

Tirana, Albania | Tirana Echo – Albania’s ruling center left majority will seek the help of the European Peoples Party to convince their Albanian member the Democratic Party to come back to Parliament.

After a meeting yesterday between PM Edi Rama and Parliament Speaker Ilir Meta where the two center-left allies were expected to come out with an agreement on the next governing coalition, the two parties have decided to turn to the European conservative sister parties for help on bringing the country’s democrats back on the table of negotiations.

Ilir Meta speaking after the meeting said the majority had the will to guarantee free and fair elections as the foundation of an European country and offered dialogue without conditions.

We have decided to show our will for a dialogue without conditions. We have also decided to carry on with voting procedures on a new President without specific candidates, with the hope of having a consensual proposal. Understanding the difficulties of the opposition, we have decided to officially ask the European Peoples Party where the DP is a member, to assist in facilitating this dialogue, in order for the country to have free and fair elections and with the aim of continuing the European integration process,” – said Meta.

Later on in the day, both socialist and democrat negotiators Taulant Balla and Oerd Bylykbashi met in the parliament’s premises to hold preliminary talks, with no concrete solution at sight. The two also chair the special parliamentary committee on electoral reform, which has produced no progress so far.

However, opposition democrats dismissed the offer.

As they have solved their problems and now will turn to the EPP, I tell them that without technical government there will be no elections in Albania. Solve your own issues with the European socialists because there are people to talk to the EPP. The path for dialogue is opened fro our side. There are two objections: technical government and a mandate for free and fair elections,” – said a defiant opposition chair Lulzim Basha in response to the latest proposals by the governing social-democrats.

Albania’s opposition has been protesting for almost two months, boycotting parliament and demanding the prime minister’s resignation. They demand the formation of a technical government which would guarantee free and fair elections, which the democrats fear will be manipulated by drug money circulating after a huge increase in cannabis trafficking during the last year.

PM Rama has said his ruling socialists have no intention to resign or postpone elections, and have accused Basha’s democrats of escaping justice reform and blocking the country’s European integration path.

Albania hopes to open accession talks with the European Union for membership, which the European Commission has conditioned on the full implementation of justice reform.

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