Ali Ahmeti of DUI in Tirana for political consultations amid electoral uncertainties in Macedonia

Ali Ahmeti and Artan Grubi of BDI
Ali Ahmeti and Artan Grubi of BDI

Tirana, 15 Dec  2016 (Tirana Echo) – Leader of ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) Ali Ahmeti whose role could be crucial in forming Macedonia’s next government visited Tirana today where he met with Albania’s highest political authorities.

As Macedonia goes through a tough and uncertain post-electoral period with no solid majority of any political party to form the next government, a delegation of Albanian party DUI led by Ali Ahmeti met today in Tirana with Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, Speaker of Parliament Ilir Meta and President Bujar Nishani.

Nationalist VMRO-DPMNE of former PM Nicola Gruevski has won 51 out of 120 seats in Macedonia’s parliament, but the country is holding its breath as the Central State Electoral authority is hearing various complaints which could lead to a partial recount of several polling centres.

If the result is overturned, a partial recount could damage ruling VMRO-DPMNE and deepen the current uncertainty in who is eligible to form a government in Macedonia. In both scenarios, Albanian party DUI which received 10 mandates, lower than expected, is still seen as the kingmaker which could decide the fate of who comes to power in the small Balkan country.

However a 61 seat fragile majority between VMRO and DUI would create a weak new government which could send Macedonia back to fresh elections within the next year.

Opposition social democrats LSDM who won 49 seats, benefited largely from a shift in Albanian votes from DUI, in what is a significant development in Macedonia since the 2001 ethnic conflict between Albanians and Slavs.

Coming out of his meeting with Albanian Speaker of Parliament Ilir Meta in Tirana this evening, DUI’s Ali Ahmeti said that his party would wait for the official confirmation of results and judge in the best interest of its voters while he praised Albania’s political representatives who have encouraged calm and stability in the neighboring country.

Albania has constantly encouraged ethnic Albanian parties in neighboring Macedonia to work together to represent their voters’ interests while always urging stability and security in its eastern borders.

Albanians make up about a third of the 2.1 million population of the landlocked former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, and have traditionally voted for ethnic Albanian parties, one of whom then becomes the junior party in a coalition government.

This time, the Albanian main DUI party, which formed the last coalition government with Gruevski won 10 seats in parliament – a half of what it had in last election. A new, anti-establishment Albanian party, Besa, picked up 5 seats, while the Democratic Party of Albanians got 2 seats, while Alliance for Albanians recorded 3 seats.

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