TIRANA, July 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Albania on Sunday held bitterly disputed municipal polls that have snowballed into a democratic crisis, with the opposition boycotting the vote and refusing to recognise its results.
The tense election run-up has seen bouts of violence as opposition supporters attacked polling stations around the country in a bid to destroy ballot materials, setting fire to two schools in the process.
Turmoil erupted in February when opposition politicians, from the right to the centre-left, walked out of parliament to launch street protests against Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.
They accuse him of crime links and manipulating elections, which he denies.
The dispute deepened when President Ilir Meta stepped in this month and announced a cancellation of the municipal poll due to the unrest.
But Rama and election authorities have decided to forge ahead with the voting regardless.
After the president tried to reschedule the poll for October, Rama wrote on Twitter: “June 30 is the only election date”.
The Organization for Security and Co-operating in Europe (OSCE), which sent observers to monitor the poll, called for the “utmost restraint”.
“Any attempt to derail the democratic process through violent action stalls the progress of Albania and stains the country’s international reputation,” it said in a statement.
Voting for mayors and local councils is set to take place in 61 municipalities in the country of around 2.8 million.
In 31 districts, there is only one Socialist candidate running while the rest have a contest with independent candidates or those from smaller parties.
Opposition mayors control slightly under half of the municipalities.
Since the fall of a communist dictatorship in 1991, Albania has struggled to nurture a healthy democracy. — NNN-AGENCIES
