Monday, February 6, 2017

Elections, OSCE Ambassador calls on voters to make the right selection



The OSCE Ambassador to Albania, Bernd Borchardt, held a meeting with students of the University of Arts, where he mentioned democratic elections, cannabis, the Judicial Reform, and respect for human rights as some of the challenges Albania will face.
The OSCE Ambassador considers cannabis as the greatest threat of the last 25 years, and said that the government needs to implement a comprehensive national plan to combat against cannabis planting.
The OSCE Ambassador said, “There are many challenges you will face. Elections are coming, and they are the first step to a better future. You will make your choice. You may be tempted to sell your vote, to photograph your vote in order to prove that you voted for the “right people”.
You are the ones that will choose the Democracy you want to live in, so please make the right choice. We support Albania’s Electoral Reform; we will give our advice on the best practices. Our colleagues from the OSCE / ODIHR will come to monitor the elections, but in the end you will decide. ”
Borchardt said that Albania has undergone some dramatic changes with the spread of cannabis being the most dangerous, and appealed for a national anti-cannabis plan to be implemented, saying “Albania has gone through dramatic changes in the last 25 years, and one of the most dangerous for the future, is the further spread of cannabis in the country. Cannabis harms society and future generations. We all need to make the right choice, but especially the young people. Albania’s OSCE monitors will support the government in its efforts to implement a comprehensive plan to combat cannabis “-said Borchardt.
The OSCE Ambassador said that art and culture in Albania are also facing some challenges, and he urged artists to break away from the pitfalls of politics and address the issues important to art.

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