News

CoE Calls for Reform of Albania’s Judiciary

Jan 17 2014
Albania
Source: 
BalkanInsight

The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Nils Muiznieks, said corruption in the Albanian judiciary "seriously impedes the proper functioning of the judiciary and undermines public trust in justice and the rule of law in Albania.

“The authorities have to step up their efforts to ensure that all cases of corruption in the judiciary are effectively investigated and prosecuted,” he added.

According to Transparency International, Albania is the most corrupt country in Balkans and one of the most corrupt in Europe.

Albania Makes U-Turn on Open Government

Jan 10 2014
Albania
Source: 
BalkanInsight

In an apparent U-turn, Endri Fuga, an adviser to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, told Balkan Insight that online publication of government decisions in full had re-started on Wednesday.

“Since the first government meeting of 2014, the decisions of the Council of Minister have been published in full,” Fuga maintained.

The Albanian government had been publishing the decisions of the Council of Ministers on its website since 2003.

Albania charges former Defence Minister

Dec 10 2013
Albania
Source: 
BalkanInsight

Albania's current Defence Minister, Mimi Kodheli, said the charges were backed by evidence, and had been prepared by a group of experts.

“I call on the general prosecutor to investigate these procedures that led to the massive abuse of state money,” she said.

Arben Imami served as defence minister from 2009-to-2013 in the centre-right government of Sali Berisha.

He is accused of holding a number of illegal tenders for the broadcast of TV adverts for the Ministry of Defence. If found guilty, the ex-minister risks seven years of imprisonment.

Albania Opposition Rally against vote-rigging

Nov 12 2013
Albania
Source: 
BalkanInsight

Nearly a thousand supporters of the former ruling Democratic Party gathered on Monday despite rainy weather to shout slogans against the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The leader of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, told supporters that reported incidents of vote-buying in the elections in Korca revealed the truth about Rama’s centre-left government.

Rama Outlines Changes to Albanian Cabinet

Jul 25 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

Rama said that the reconstruction of the cabinet "has been based on a detailed analysis of the current government and all its branches, which in our opinion contains parasitcal structures and require cuts".

The new cabinet will have 19 ministries, four more than the outgoing government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, he noted.

Rama’s Socialist-led alliance won a landslide victory in the June 23 parliamentary election, winning 84 of the 140 seats in parliament.

Rama Outlines Changes to Albanian Cabinet

Jul 25 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

Rama said that the reconstruction of the cabinet "has been based on a detailed analysis of the current government and all its branches, which in our opinion contains parasitcal structures and require cuts".

The new cabinet will have 19 ministries, four more than the outgoing government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, he noted.

Rama’s Socialist-led alliance won a landslide victory in the June 23 parliamentary election, winning 84 of the 140 seats in parliament.

Albania's Democrats Vote For New Leader

Jul 22 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

Around 105,000 members of the party are heading to the ballot box on Monday to select a new party leader, with the main contenders being Tirana mayor Lulzim Basha and transport minister Sokol Olldashi.

This is the first time in the party’s history that rank-and-file members vote directly for their chairman.

Berisha resigned as party boss following the defeat in the June 23 parliamentary elections, won by a landslide by the Socialists headed by former Tirana mayor Edi Rama.

Albania Eyes Vote Recount in Contested Region

Jul 18 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

The CEC on Wednesday approved the recount decision following appeals from both the Socialist-led coalition and the Democrats of outgoing Prime Minister Sali Berisha.

The Socialist seek a recount in six polling stations, arguing that there are discrepancies between the number of voters and the large number of votes cast. Meanwhile the Democrats have sought a recount at ten polling stations, where tabulation forms for the vote count were not original but were photocopied.

Albanian Socialists Eye Landslide Victory

Jun 25 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

As the vote count continued for a third day on Tuesday, the left-wing opposition held onto its lead that would likely secure it 84 of the 140 seats in Albania’s parliament.

Socialist leader Edi Rama called on Prime Minister Sali Berisha to concede defeat, while underlining the importance that the remaining ballots are counted without further delay.  

“We calmly wait for our opponent to concede defeat,” Rama said at a press conference.

“This is the time for all parties to work together so that the counting process can end, and Albania can move on,” he added.

Albania Counts Votes After Shooting Mars Polls

Jun 24 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

Weary-eyed poll commissioners continued to count ballots on Monday after an election day marred by the murder of an opposition supporter and the wounding of a ruling Democratic Party candidate in a shootout in the northern town of Lac.

The counting began in the early hours of Monday, and so far the Central Electoral Commission, CEC, has announced partial results representing than two per cent of the national vote. The partial results put the left-wing opposition in the lead.

Fraud Fears Overshadow Albanian Election

Jun 21 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

Polling stations open on Sunday for what will undoubtedly be one of the most closely scrutinised elections in Albania’s recent history.  

Standing by to ensure a free and fair election will by an army of more than 8,000 local and international observers. 

Facing a difficult transition to democracy since the collapse of the Communist regime in 1991, Albania’s elections have been routinely marred by fraud and violence. 

The last elections in 2009 sparked a political crisis between the ruling Democrats and opposition Socialists that still reverberates. 

Albania PM Tempts Voters With Wage Hike

Jun 17 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

With the June 23 election only days way, the Albanian government has approved a decision to raise wages and pensions by 6 per cent in a bid to win votes for the ruling Democratic Party.

“We have approved in principle the increase of wages and pensions by 6 per cent, which will come into force after the election,” Prime Minister Sali Berisha said last Thursday.

Taking a swipe at his main rival in the June 23 general election, Mr Berisha said that the Socialist leader, Edi Rama, “never mentions salaries but only taxes and their increase”.

Thousands Join Albanian Ruling Party’s Campaign Rally

May 14 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

Thousands of ruling party supporters gathered in Mother Theresa Square in Tirana on Monday, waving the party’s flag and chanting Berisha’s name after he walked onto the stage.

“The June 23 parliamentary elections present a big choice for Albanian citizens,” Berisha told his cheering supporters.

“Our alternative has at heart your freedom, wealth and free enterprise, while the opposition wants to raise taxes and make Albania a country that works for its government,” he said.

Albania Opposition Spotlight Electoral Roll Errors

May 10 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

“Our experts have found 25,874 records that are suspected of being duplications in the voters’ list for the elections,” Bledi Cuci, Socialist undersecretary for electoral affairs, said Thursday.

“Our latest extract has also found that 352,237 voters that are recorded in the list do not have an exact address,” he added.

According to Cuci, the most problematic regions where voters do not have an exact address is Tirana, followed by Vlora, Shkodra and Korca.  

Leftist Opposition Leads Albania Election Poll

May 09 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

The poll, which was carried out for the TV station by the Italian Piepoli Institute, said 49 per cent of repondents would vote for the Socialist-led coalition in the elections, well ahead of 40 per cent for the centre-right ruling Democratic Party coalition.

The New Democratic Spirit, a splinter group from the ruling Democrats, headed by former President Bamir Topi, would receive 5.5 per cent of the votes and another 5.5 per cent would go to the nationalist Red and Black Alliance.

Albania Registers MP Candidates Before Polls

May 07 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

The ruling Democrats of Prime Minister Sali Berisha have included in their list of candidates three former Socialist MPs who switched ranks ahead of the polls.

The defectors were key to securing a majority in parliament for the government, after the Socialist Movement for Integration, the former junior government partner, joined the opposition coalition in early April.

Opposition Leader’s ‘Assault’ Turns Into Albania Poll Issue

May 02 2013
Albania
Source: 
Balkan Insight

Albania’s parliament on Monday approved an investigation into claims that opposition leader Edi Rama assaulted the Albanian ambassador to the OSCE, after a speech at the Political Academy in Vienna on April 24.

The committee backed by the ruling Democrats and their junior allies in parliament was approved by 71 votes in favour while opposition MPs boycotted the vote.

The parliamentary probe, the third against Edi Rama in one decade, will try to determine whether the opposition leader damaged Albania’s standing in the West through his behavior.

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