Brussels, 08/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - “Concerned” by the disagreement between the government and the opposition in Albania on the preparations for the forthcoming local elections, EU High Representative for the CFSP Javier Solana has warned that failure to ensure democratic elections “would risk doing harm to Albania's progress towards Europe and would reflect negatively on the political forces in the country”. In a press release published on 5 January, Mr Solana called on government and opposition leaders to “take their responsibility towards the citizens of Albania and work together constructively in order to ensure orderly elections within the constitutional deadlines”. The local elections, originally scheduled for 20 January, have been postponed probably until 18 February, with the Socialist opposition, which had been calling for a postponement, finally managing to convince Prime Minister Sali Berisha. Disagreeing with the government on various points, particularly the electoral list, and fearing the possibility of fraud, the Socialist Party has been concerned since December about how smoothly the elections would go. According to Mr Solana, “electoral issues on which agreement has already been reached must be implemented, and the outstanding technical issues resolved quickly by negotiated common accord”. He hoped for the “full and active participation of all political forces in the local elections themselves”.
Commissioner Olli Rehn (Enlargement) also called on Albanian authorities to guarantee a vote “in accordance with international standards”. “The way it organises these elections will shape the international community's perception of Albania for years to come,” his spokeswoman said on Monday.
On Saturday, the President of the Albanian Central Electoral Commission expressed scepticism that the postponement of the local elections until 18 February could ensure that they went smoothly. “The problem is no longer the date. It is how to manage to adopt a full legal framework, (which is) difficult to get the parliament to pass within a month,” he said. (ab)