- Title: ALBANIA: Albanians vote in tense poll
- Date: 9th May 2011
- Summary: TIRANA, ALBANIA (MAY 08, 2011) (REUTERS) POLLING CENTRE IN TIRANA VARIOUS OF THE HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC PARTY SALI BERISHA ARRIVES AT POLLING CENTRE BERISHA SHAKING HANDS/ CHATTING WITH ELECTION OFFICIALS JOURNALISTS VARIOUS OF SALI BERISHA WITH HIS WIFE LIRIE CASTING HIS BALLOT (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) ALBANIAN PM, AND THE HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC PARTY, SALI BERISHA, SAYING: "Let's turn this into a great feast of values, democracy, passion and our determination for freedom and its values." POLLING CENTRE IN TIRANA WHERE SOCIALIST PARTY LEADER EDI RAMA VOTES SOCIALIST PARTY LEADER EDI RAMA ARRIVES AT POLLING CENTRE JOURNALISTS VARIOUS OF RAMA CASTING HIS BALLOT SIGN READING "POLLING CENTRE 1902" SOUNDBITE) (English) THE HEAD OF SOCIALIST PARTY, EDI RAMA, SAYING: "It is a very special election day when people have to express themselves about how they want life in this country to go on and to save our democracy, which is under permanent threat; to vote against injustice, which is our everyday life and to vote for a better economy in a time of deep crisis of democracy, justice and economy." PEOPLE LOOKING AT VOTING LISTS VOTING LISTS
- Embargoed: 24th May 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Albania, Albania
- Country: Albania
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA50LWTXV9UZZSKUPV09JPAU64H
- Story Text: Albanians began voting on Sunday (May 8) in local elections the opposition are calling a referendum on the national government and the European Union says must be free and fair if the country is to be considered for membership.
Democracy is just 20 years old in Albania, which is still suffering post-Communist growing pains. Four people were shot dead in January when anti-government protests turned violent.
Sunday's vote for local mayors is the first test of political support since a contested 2009 general election whose messy aftermath has slowed the poor country's progress towards ultimate EU membership.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha said that meeting Western elections standards was key for Albania's advancement.
"Let's turn this into a great feast of values, democracy, passion and our determination for freedom and its values," Berisha, the head of the ruling Democratic Party said, as he cast his ballot in the capital, Tirana.
Brussels, which rejected Albania's application for candidate status last November, has made clear the vote has to be free and fair if Albania wants to be considered for candidate status by the end of this year.
The opposition Socialist Party, led by Tirana Mayor Edi Rama, who is running for a fourth term, is appealing to voters to use Sunday's vote to express discontent in a national government the party calls corrupt and incompetent.
"It is a very special election day when people have to express themselves about how they want life in this country to go on and to save our democracy, which is under permanent threat; to vote against injustice, which is our everyday life and to vote for better economy in a time of deep crisis of democracy, justice and economy," Rama said, as he voted in Tirana.
Rising fuel and food prices, coupled with some tax increases, could influence voters, although the economy has continued to grow throughout the world economic crisis.
The police have deployed about 7,000 officers to assure peaceful voting at more than 4,000 polling stations, reinforcing their presence in areas near Tirana which saw riots between supporters of the main parties.
Of the 63 politically-related campaign incidents, police say three explosions leading to one wounded person and the burning of a vehicle as the most serious. There have been also stabbings and shootouts, but no one died.
The EU has bluntly told Albania to conduct a fair vote and the government and opposition to hold talks on ending the stalemate about the 2009 election controversy and the functioning of parliament, a leap they have yet to take.
Apart from 2200 local monitors, some 600 foreign election monitors, coordinated by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the pan-European rights watchdog, will fan out across Albania to watch the vote, local media reported.
The total number of Albanian voters is over 3.1 million. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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