ALBANIA: ALBANIA PREPARES TO GO TO THE POLLS FOR THE THIRD TIME SINCE THE COMMUNISTS WERE TOPPLED IN 1990

Record ID: 566088

  • Title: ALBANIA: ALBANIA PREPARES TO GO TO THE POLLS FOR THE THIRD TIME SINCE THE COMMUNISTS WERE TOPPLED IN 1990
  • Date: 4th April 1996
  • Summary: =QUALITY AS INCOMING= TIRANA, ALBANIA (APRIL 4, 1996/RECENT) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) APRIL 4, 1996 1. LV EXTERIOR CLOCK TOWER, PAN TO PALACE OF CULTURE, POSTER 0.14 2. SV PRESIDENT SALI BERISHA ENTERING AUDITORIUM TO APPLAUSE, SHAKING DELEGATES' HANDS 0.37 3. SVS BERISHA, DELEGATES STANDING FOR ANTHEM 1.01 4. MCU BERISHA DELIVERING KEYNOTE SPEECH (ALBANIAN) 1.43 5. SV BERISHA CONCLUDING SPEECH, APPLAUSE 1.53 (RECENT - MARCH 1996) 6. SV EXTERIOR SOCIALIST PARTY CONGRESS 2.02 7. SV SOCIALIST PARTY LEADERS, HEADED BY VICE-CHAIRMAN SERVET PELLUMBI, WALK ONTO STAGE, STAND AND APPLAUD 2.16 8. PAN CONGRESS APPLAUDS 2.20 9. MCU SERVET PELLUMBI DELIVERING SPEECH 2.41 10.SV STANDING APPLAUSE 2.46 11.LVS STREET SCENES 3.15 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 19th April 1996 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ALBANIA
  • City:
  • Country: Albania
  • Reuters ID: LVA5QO9DYS7JIKFOT3W5SZIQZRUP
  • Story Text: INTRO: The President of Albania says he may be forced to seek an alliance with other political groups to head off a possible comeback by former Communists in the forthcoming elections.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------- Albania is preparing to go to the polls for the third time since the communists were toppled in 1990.

    For the last four years President Sali Berisha's ruling Democratic Party has enjoyed a majority.

    But this year commentators expect a closely fought battle with the Socialists, who are hoping for a revival similar to that experienced by reformed communists in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Lithuania.

    As a result, Berisha has told his party's convention he may seek an alliance with other parties to ensure the Socialists don't win power.

    Republican Party leader Sabri Godo declared earlier that Berisha's party and his own shared the aim of fighting communism.

    The Republicans were one of Democrats' junior partners in a coalition which resulted from a landslide election victory in March 1992.

    But the Socialists are also offering partnerships with other groups like the Democratic Alliance party, the Social-Democrats and the Agrarian party.

    They are pledging to bring new impetus to the country's market reforms and guarantee human rights.

    Socialist Vice-chairman Servet Pellumbi told a party congress only the socialists were capable of building a Western-style democracy in Albania, stamping out corruption, creating jobs and raising the standard of living.

    He was speaking in place of Socialist leader Fatos Nano who is serving a 12 year prison sentence for embezzlement. Nano has also been barred from public office until 2002 along with others who held posts in the old communist regime.


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