The Fear for fraud, forces the Greeks Orthodox of Albania, to count separately

Started in the Saranda region, the preliminary census of population, which believes that belongs to the Orthodox religion and Greek ethnicity

Fear of a manipulation of the data of the census to be conducted in April 2001, has forced representatives of the Greek and Orthodox religion, the individual counting to make in advance, which will face the official census of the population, the next year.

The reason according to sources informed of the organization "Omonia", is because the Albanian government, has avoided in this process, the participation of minorities in the Central Census Commission.

"Gazeta Shqiptare", writes that from Saranda, have begun to distributed forms authorized by the Orthodox Church of Albania, where individuals can claim in a form, their ethnic origin and religious.

According to analysts who belong to non-Albanian ethnic groups, the process of population census in Albania, is considered very difficult, as a network of Albanian non-governmental organizations, have urged the Albanian government to scrap the declaration form, religion and nationality, as otherwise, this government will be considered anti-national, and will be the consequences for the future of Albania.

Regarding the fact that a country like Albania, which never in its own existence as a state, did not develop democratic free elections, nothing like that happen otherwise, that such Census have strong legal base, and the process by the Albanian government has to be distorted.

The Greek minority, fears a large-scale manipulation of the population and therefore counting has started in collaboration with the Orthodox Church, before the organization's own official count of the population census in Albania.