Noticias

Political parties have already started the electoral campaign, although it officially starts on May 22.

In the recent weeks, an intensive campaign is being held by the main political parties with several meetings and rallies during the day throughout Albania.

The media has intensively reflected these electoral activities.

But, the election law which has been approved by the same parties that are violating it, says that the campaign only lasts 30 days and is held up until one day before the elections.

US ambassador to Albania, Donald Lu said today that the list of candidates for the local government elections contains several names with possible criminal records.

This comes a few days after Mr. Lu had declared that the embassy would observe the candidates.

“We promised that we would look into the names of candidates, to see if they have been arrested before, in or outside of the country for different criminal offenses. We are happy with the candidate list, but we have concluded that some of the names in it may have criminal records”, Mr. Lu said today.

The main parties have announced their candidates for the biggest electoral prize that is up for grabs in June’s polls – the mayoralty of the capital Tirana.

The left-wing ruling coalition which came to power at parliamentary elections in 2013 has named the current minister of welfare and former social activist Erion Veliaj as its candidate.

Veliaj, 36, holds a degree in political science from Grand Valley State University in US. He headed the Mjaft Movement, a civic activism NGO between 2003 and 2007 and founded an ill-fated party called G-99 in 2007.

“We appeal to the conscience of citizens not to vote for candidates who are known for their criminal or corrupt past," an open letter from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference said on Tuesday.

“Even an election boycott or a blank ballot is an option and a voice that must be heard and a right that must be used in specific conditions. If any of the candidates doesn’t fulfil the criteria, then a boycott becomes a moral duty,” the letter said.

Miles de simpatizantes del conservador Partido Democrático (PD), la principal fuerza de la oposición en Albania, se manifestaron hoy en Tirana para pedir la dimisión del presidente del Parlamento, Ilir Meta, al que consideran vinculado con el crimen, y reclamar la celebración de elecciones anticipadas.

Meta dirige el Movimiento Socialista para la Integración (LSI), que desde 2013 gobierna en coalición con el Partido Socialista (PS), del primer ministro, Edi Rama.

A survey by the Institute for Development Research and Alternatives, IDRA, said many Albanian were aware of people being promised gifts or favours in exchange for votes in elections.

“About 43 per cent of respondents declared they were aware of cases in which votes were promised in return for favours,” IDRA said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Voting ‘to keep their current job’; to 'get a job after the elections’; and ‘in return for money or gifts’, are mentioned as frequent phenomena encountered by more than a third of the respondents,” it added.

Data from the World Bank show that Macedonia leads the western Balkan region in terms of gender equality when it comes to the percentage of women MPs in parliament.

According to the World Bank, 34.1 per cent of Macedonia’s parliament is made up of women MPs - the highest quota in the region.  

Serbia comes second in the region with 33.2 per cent, while Kosovo is close behind, with 31 per cent.

The Mjaft Movement, a Tirana-based watchdog organisation, accused the Albanian government of fulfilling only seven of 17 promises which it pledged to uphold in its first 100 days.

Out of the 17 electoral promises made by the centre-left government of Prime Minister Edi Rama that Mjaft evaluated as part of its Truthometer project, seven were realised, seven were not realised, one was judged to be unmeasurable and two others were only party fulfilled.

Rama’s government took office in September, promising to usher in a ‘renaissance’ for Albania.