EU foreign policy chief warns Albania on election
EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton speaks at a news conference in
Tirana, Tuesday April 16, 2013 saying that the Brussels considered
Albaniaís June parliamentary elections as a test for the functioning of
its democratic institutions and the progress toward the bloc.
The Associated Press
TIRANA, Albania --
The European Union's foreign policy chief warned Albanian leaders
Tuesday that the conduct of forthcoming parliamentary elections would be
a major test for the country, which hopes one day to join the 27-nation
bloc.
Catherine Ashton's comments came in the wake of a dispute between the government and the opposition over the make-up of the country's election commission.
"The EU considers of crucial importance that the (June 23 polls) are in line with international and European standards," Ashton said after talks with political party leaders in Tirana.
Post-Communist Albania has repeatedly failed in the past to meet international election standards, and some 400 international observers will be in the country to monitor the upcoming vote.
Ashton spoke in the Albanian capital a day after the conservative-led governing coalition won a vote in Parliament to replace a key electoral official - a move the opposition denounced as unconstitutional. Socialist lawmakers boycotted the vote.
The official who had been serving on the seven-member Central Election Commission, or CEC, was backed by a small party that recently left the coalition government to join the opposition. The party's departure from the government meant that Prime Minister Sali Berisha's Democratic Party effectively lost its majority on the committee - thus the push to replace the official.
The CEC manages election preparation and certifies results. Its membership corresponds roughly to the strength of the various political parties in Parliament.
The electoral official's replacement drew international criticism. The EU on Monday expressed concern "over the possible repercussions of a vote in parliament on the people's confidence in the electoral process."
U.S. Ambassador to Albania Alexander Arvizu said the decision puts Albania on a collision course with the international community.
Albania applied for EU candidate status in 2009, but has failed to meet some of the conditions, including political and judicial reforms, and fighting corruption and crime.
Catherine Ashton's comments came in the wake of a dispute between the government and the opposition over the make-up of the country's election commission.
"The EU considers of crucial importance that the (June 23 polls) are in line with international and European standards," Ashton said after talks with political party leaders in Tirana.
Post-Communist Albania has repeatedly failed in the past to meet international election standards, and some 400 international observers will be in the country to monitor the upcoming vote.
Ashton spoke in the Albanian capital a day after the conservative-led governing coalition won a vote in Parliament to replace a key electoral official - a move the opposition denounced as unconstitutional. Socialist lawmakers boycotted the vote.
The official who had been serving on the seven-member Central Election Commission, or CEC, was backed by a small party that recently left the coalition government to join the opposition. The party's departure from the government meant that Prime Minister Sali Berisha's Democratic Party effectively lost its majority on the committee - thus the push to replace the official.
The CEC manages election preparation and certifies results. Its membership corresponds roughly to the strength of the various political parties in Parliament.
The electoral official's replacement drew international criticism. The EU on Monday expressed concern "over the possible repercussions of a vote in parliament on the people's confidence in the electoral process."
U.S. Ambassador to Albania Alexander Arvizu said the decision puts Albania on a collision course with the international community.
Albania applied for EU candidate status in 2009, but has failed to meet some of the conditions, including political and judicial reforms, and fighting corruption and crime.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/16/3346808/albania-changes-election-committee.html#storylink=cpy
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