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| Yuri Kim in a public speech in Tirana (archive) |
The Embassy of the United States of America in Tirana has appealed to the Government of Albania, state institutions, and political parties to implement the recommendations of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). ), on the eve of the local elections, which will be held on May 14.
"As the ambassador (of the USA in Albania) Yuri Kim recently discussed with the leaders of the parties, the political parties must ensure that the election campaigns and activities are conducted in a fair, orderly and transparent manner in accordance with the Albanian law and international standards", it is stated in the announcement of this embassy to the media.
This position of the American Embassy comes on the day when the State Commissioner of Elections, Ilirjan Celibashi proposed to the Complaints and Sanctions Commission administrative punishments for 3 mayors: that of Fier, Librazhdi, and Prerenjas for helding political activities contrary to the rules.
However, civil society representatives stated that they have reported dozens of similar cases and expect more punitive measures.
The US Embassy in Tirana highlights the OSCE/ODIHR report after the April 2021 parliamentary elections, which emphasized credible reports of vote buying, voter intimidation, and misuse of state resources and personal data.
This weekend, the main political parties in Albania are expected to nominate their candidates for the 61 municipalities of the country. Monday, March 27, is the deadline for their registration with the Central Election Commission.
Albania's Prime Minister, Edi Rama, speaking as the leader of the Socialist Party, has declared that, as candidates of this party, the majority of the current mayors will be reconfirmed, while a small number of new names will be added.
As for the opposition, the situation is quite different. Within the Democratic Party, there is a fierce debate about which of the two groups - those supporting Enkelejd Alibeaj or those supporting Sali Berisha - represents the Democrats.
The electoral institutions officially recognize the Democratic Party, represented by the acting chairman of this party, Enkelejd Alibeaj, referring to the register of registered political parties in court.
Berisha's group has identified a good number of candidates for the May 14 elections, but they cannot register them as they do not have a logo or a stamp that identifies them with the Democratic Party. In these circumstances, they are forced to register the candidates under the logo of a coalition led by the left-wing party of Ilir Meta, "Liberty Party."
On the other hand, the official Democratic Party, under the leadership of Alibeaj, has yet to announce any candidate to run in the elections but has called on Berisha's candidates not to run under the symbol of a left-wing party (Ilir Meta's party) but to run under the logo of the Democratic Party.
This situation in the largest opposition party in Albania is related to the decision of the United States of America, which declared Sali Berisha "non-grata" in May 2021.
A few days before the official announcement of the candidates for the competition that will take place in 60 municipalities in Albania, the US Embassy in Tirana called on political parties.
"Leaders must ensure that their lists of candidates meet the requirements of the law, as well as the expectations of Albanian citizens for clean and high-integrity candidates. President Biden's anti-corruption strategy identifies the unique threat that corruption poses to our democracy and national security."
In its statement, the US Embassy in Albania emphasizes that the United States strongly supports the Albanian people's demand for a strong democracy and encourages all leaders and institutions to continue to improve Albania's electoral processes.
Currently, almost all the country's municipalities are run by the Socialist Party, because the opposition boycotted the 2019 local elections.
The May 14 process marks the ninth local elections to be held in Albania since the fall of communism, not including local partial elections.