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ELECTIONS 2009

Bregu says the DP coalition won 71 mandates; Bushati says it is not true

The Democratic Party (DP) electoral campaign Spokesperson Majlinda Bregu said yesterday that the "Alliance of change" coalition won 71 mandates. She said that the next government will be a stable one and it will rule for four years. She asked the Central Elections Committee (CEC) and all the other institutions to complete the final counting procedures and final official calculations to confirm the victory of the ruling coalition.

The Socialist Party (SP) candidate in Tirana, Ditmir Bushati asked Prime Minister Berisha not to make any efforts to change the results in Fier or Bushat (Shkodra). He reacted immediately after Bregu's statement who claimed that the ruling majority won the elections. According to Bushati, her statement is a sign of a sinister plan to manipulate the uncounted votes.
Bushati said that the DP does not have 71 mandates adding that the verdict of the people has not been read yet.

Berisha says the DP coalition will be enlarged

Prime Minister Berisha called yesterday a meeting of the Council of Ministers. According to the newspaper, he implied that other political parties which won parliamentary mandates might join the Democratic Party (DP). He invited the ministers to intensify their efforts and include in the agenda all the work delayed as a result of the elections. Berisha said that according to the Constitution, the current Assembly's mandate expires on 3 or 4 September and, in this context, he called on the ministers to continue functioning as a government. He said that he will continue with the reforms until the day the new government is constituted. He did not make any comments regarding the results of the elections adding that he will speak when the Central Elections Committee (CEC) will announce the final results.


EU says constructive dialogue is indispensable for new government

The EU Swedish Presidency called on political parties in Albania to hold a constructive dialogue for the constitution of the new government. The press statement said that the EU Presidency was informed about the final results of the International Election Observers Mission which confirmed the improvements in the electoral process in Albania but also stressed that problems persist. The statement said that the successful completion of the remaining phases of the electoral process is highly important. The EU praised Albania for the large turnout and the calm electoral atmosphere.
Krisztina Nagy, Spokesperson for EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn also congratulated the Albanian people for the large turnout and encouraged all political parties to reaffirm their commitment for the necessary reforms including the sufficient administrative capacity to guarantee the implementation of these reforms.

SMI candidate Prifti says he is willing to collaborate with Berisha

The Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) candidate in Fier Dritan Prifti declared yesterday for the media that he is willing to offer his mandate to Prime Minister Berisha in case the latter cannot win 71 mandates necessary to crate a new government. Prifti has already won an MP mandate in Fier as part of the Socialist Movement for Integration. The only condition set by Prifti for this collaboration is that the new Assembly votes a law to investigate the election and the re-counting of the ballots in order to guarantee free elections. Previously, the Socialist Party (SP) Chairmanship member Pandeli Majko had declared that the negotiations with SMI will be according to the highest of standards. However, he said that there are no chances that SMI Chair Meta be elected Prime Minister; even if this is the only condition to be set by SMI for collaboration.

CEC decides to block counting in Fier

According to media reports, the CEAZ in Fier decided last night to declare as irregular three ballot boxes. The decision which was taken with only the majority of the commissioners of the Democratic Party was strongly contested by the Socialist Party. Both parties have strong claims which could result in one more mandate for the right wing coalition or the maintaining of the current results which give to the left wing coalition 9 mandates. In the end it was decided that these three ballot boxes be administered by the Central Elections Commission in Tirana. People were protesting last in front of the Vote Counting Centre denouncing any chance for manipulating their vote.

Smaller parties: "Technical Government, the Electoral Code must change"

Day three after the 28 June general elections, as the results emerge and create a clearer picture of the new political landscape it becomes clear that many of the smaller parties will no longer be in the Albanian Assembly because they failed to reach the threshold. This absence of representation of the smaller parties in the Assembly has caused substantial aggravation towards the two bigger parties the DP and SP, and the amendments they made to the Constitution to introduce a new electoral system one year ago.
Neritan Ceka (DAP) had stern criticism for the new electoral system and stressed that it provided no guarantees, because the smaller parties were not capable of realistically seeing how many votes they got, because they had no commission members at the vote count centers. Paskal Milo (SDY) said that this electoral code hits parliamentarianism hard, reducing the level of policy-making; individuals will be in parliament who have no ties whatsoever with politics, but who purchase votes cash in hand, and figures with 18 years experience in politics were thrown out. Milo said the DP and SP sent their people door to door offering money for their votes and third, the votes of the Albanians were again usurped by parties they did not vote for.
Milo said that the vote count remains one of the highly contested moments of the electoral process. The SDY offered three ways of getting around this difficulty-the first was to amend the electoral code, the second to find a settlement that would have prevented the electoral crisis created, and we are now looking at early elections and third the DP and SP must explain to the Albanians why they have delivered such a stunning blow to the process of integration. Nard Ndoka (DCP) also criticized the two main parties and demanded that the electoral system be reviewed. He accused the DP and SP of manipulation of the vote count. Ndoka claimed that the two main parties even forced DCP observers to abandon their posts. Ndoka is of the opinion that these elections were probably the most disgraceful held in Albania these last eighteen years. Dashamir Shehi (MND) also called for the changing of the electoral system. Shehi said that the country now needs a technical government which will undertake to review the Electoral Code for a unified proportional system.


GOVERNANCE

Freedom house report says corruption is a dramatic failure of government

The Freedom House Organization report "Nations in transit 2009" says that the separation of powers among the legislature, executive, and judiciary remains fragile and intermittently damaged by political initiatives.
Politicization in the public sector persists and limits the development of a professional, nonpartisan civil service, police, judiciary, electoral administration, and media. The report also mentions that despite divisive conflict among major parties, elites were able to arrive at a consensus on enough issues for Albania to receive an invitation to join NATO. The consensus for the new electoral system is also considered a success. With regards to the civil society, the report says it still struggles to serve as an important voice in public life. In terms of media independence, the report says Albanian citizens enjoy a variety of print and electronic sources of information representing a range of political and social viewpoints. The most influential media outlets, however, are increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few owners. The report says corruption is one of the most dramatic failures of the government. The report says that two ministers from the cabinet faced criminal proceedings for corruption scandals in 2008. Government pressure on the Office of the General Prosecutor and judges according to the report increased, particularly when General Prosecutor Ina Rama brought these cases to the court.

Germany: It is important that sides recognize results

Interviewed by the Albanian program of "Deutsche Welle," the German Minister of State Gernot Erler declared yesterday that no matter what the outcome of the elections, what will be important is that the one who loses cedes victory to the winner. His opinion on the electoral process in Albania was divided. Erler said that perhaps the mark given to Albania should be divided in half. This expert on SE European issues quoted the preliminary report of the international observers who, on the one hand assess that the electoral process and the vote count process were peaceful, without incidents, but on the other hand are highly critical of the electoral campaign. Erler said that a great deal will depend on whether or not Albania will be able to create a government that will function. He said that he hoped, on this point, the country will send us a positive signal, by accepting the results of the elections.