An "ultimatum" on Albanian election reform

29/10/2010

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha. [Reuters]

Political life in Albania has been mired in an impasse since the June 2009 elections. The opposition Socialists and their allies want ballot boxes re-opened; the ruling coalition disagrees, and the resulting standoff has held up the legislative process.

EU officials have regularly warned that Albania's EU prospects are being harmed. Now there are signals that the two sides may be inching towards a solution, though whether anything concrete comes of it remains to be seen, and the tone of discussions remains combative.

Edi Rama, leader of the Socialists, made a surprise decision last week to attend a meeting called by Prime Minister Sali Berisha to discuss the crisis. He brought with him what he described as an "ultimatum".

It calls for setting up a commission to investigate problems with the election, such as an alleged lack of policing.............................se more

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