Berisha answers Dimas: Census and administrative elections, the successes of my government

Asked by Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Dimas, about the failure of the Census in Albania and  for the possible that the Greek ethnic minority feels threatened, the Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berisha, responded:

“The Census was held in full freedom. 99 years after the creation of the state, Albania has today the best image of the national and material existence. For the first time, the Albanians were registered with the most advanced technology of the time. The first results are historical and confirmed that this country si progressing quickly. Confirmed that the Albanians have built houses for themselves in these 10 years, more than any other nations in 290 years”, Berisha declared.

Berisha also mentioned the May 8th elections, another culminating date for Albania’s political life during this year, with strong clashes between the majority and the opposition.

“In the May 8th elections, regardless the turmoil attempts, the constitutional order of the country prevailed together with the citizens’ right to evaluate every vote. The constitutional institutions passed one of the most serious tests for every democratic country, due to the razor-sharp difference. The directives of the Commission of Venice and the OSCE/ODIHR confirm that right stance that we held by defending the principles that never can be violated. There might have been any slight legal gap, but not in the principles that we cherish. The fact is that these elections are the first in the history of this country that have been evaluated as competitive and transparent”, the PM declared.