Albania tense over razor-thin vote in capital
- Clashes erupt at the central election panel, which is tabulating votes
- The Socialist Party mayor holds a 10-vote lead
- But a final count could tip the vote in favor of the government candidate
- Political tension has run high in Albania since a 2009 disputed election
Tirana, Albania (CNN) -- Tension escalated in the Albanian capital Thursday as opposition members clashed with police outside the building where a commission is re-evaluating votes from a local election that was seen as a crucible for stability in the Balkan nation.
Members of the opposition Socialist Party attempted to enter the commission building by force. Police pushed them back.
Protests also erupted in three other towns, including Kavaja, where roads were blocked and people burned tires.
At issue is a razor-thin Tirana mayoral race in which the head of the opposition, Edi Rama, held only a 10-vote lead. A final vote tabulation by the Central Election Committee could tip the results of the May 8 vote in favor of the government candidate, former Interior Minister Lulzim Basha.
Rama's Socialist Party has accused the ruling Democratic Party of vote manipulation and has asked to check ballot boxes.
Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, urged a peaceful resolution.
"The narrow result in the mayoral elections in Tirana means that both sides need to reach out, overcome differences and find solutions," Ashton said in a statement issued Thursday.
"Developments today have shown the fragility of the political situation," she said. "I urge all political leaders in Albania and in the city of Tirana to support the finalisation of the election process calmly, constructively and with a focus on the future."
Albania, a former Stalinist nation, abandoned communism in the 1990s but the path to democracy has been bumpy. Past elections have been criticized for not being free or fair. About 300 international monitors and observers were on hand for this round of voting, a test for whether Albania was ready to join the European Union.
Albania submitted its application for membership in April 2009.
The Socialist Party has won 70% of local elections, winning seats in other Albanian towns and cities. But Tirana remained in contention after a monthlong campaign leading up to the vote was marred by violence, including explosions, stabbings, beatings and threats.
Earlier in the year, Rama, a three-term mayor of Tirana, had promoted protests alleging government corruption and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sal Berisha. Four people were killed in the protests, for which the opposition held Basha culpable.
The recent clashes and back-and-forth allegations stem from a longstanding political stalemate following a disputed June 2009 election, one that international diplomats are pushing hard for Albanian leaders to resolve peacefully.
The country's supreme court, however, determined that those elections -- which returned Berisha to power -- were valid, and the ballots were burned by the Central Election Commission.
Since then, tension has mounted between the government and its political rivals.
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