Will Albania hold elections without the opposition democrats?

Tirana, Albania | Tirana Echo – Albanian coalition political parties are battling the idea of holding elections without opposition democrats who are demanding the resignation of PM Edi Rama and the formation of a technical government ahead of June 18 general elections.

However, several key actors in the governing centre-left coalition are battling the idea of holding elections without the opposition’s participation.

One day after PM Edi Rama said that “the governing coalition is prepared to go to June’s general elections without the opposition Democratic Party“, the LSI parliamentary group chair Luan Rama, said that elections without the opposition would be a farce.

Elections without the opposition are only a formality, they can be elections in the judicial sense but in the institutional and political point of view they would not have standards. Elections without the opposition are a farce“, said Luan Rama of the junior centre-left coalition partner.

The positioning implies a crack in the governing coalition in terms of what is to come if the opposition democrats continue boycotting parliament and upcoming general elections in June.

This morning, the chair of LSI and Speaker of Parliament Ilir Meta when asked to comment on PM Rama’s comment, replied that “pluralism has come to Albania since the ’90’s and elections will be held and will be excellent’, adding to the political confusion currently dominating Albania’s political scene.

The parliamentary boycott of the opposition parties and their withdrawal from electoral registers has paralyzed the Balkan state which is expected to start the ‘Vetting’ of its judges and prosecutors as part of a wider constitutional reform of it highly corrupt justice system.

The European Union has made it clear last December that unless tangible results are shown in the implementation of justice reform, the EU will not open accession talks for membership.

During a recent visit to Tirana, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said that the Albanian leaders “have the responsibility to act within the institutions and the political game needs to be played inside the field, not outside it, which means the debate should take place in parliament“, adding that the door of the EU is open and it is up to the Albanian government to take the necessary steps forward in the country’s integration.

Copyright ©2017  TiranaEcho.com – All Rights Reserved