Albania: Edi Rama Alone Against All After Tense Election Campaign

At the polls comes the Albania on Sunday for the parliamentary elections that are considered vital for the country’s dreams of joining the European Union, following an election campaign marked by insults, allegations of corruption and violent incidents.

Outgoing Socialist Prime Minister Eddy Rama is facing an opposition that is both heterogeneous and determined to oust him.

At the same time, the international community is closely monitoring the vote, which is a test of the proper functioning of the fragile institutions of the young Albanian republic.

After the end of communism in this poor Balkan country in the early 1990s, the results of the elections are systematically challenged by those who lose, and cause accusations of fraud.

According to the Athens News Agency, this is a situation that is somewhat tired at a time when Albania, which already suffered a catastrophic earthquake at the end of 2019, is suffering the great economic and social costs of its pandemic. coronavirus.

“The least the parties can do is put aside their conflicts and work hard in everyone’s interest because we are all tired,” Arisa Kragia, a 45-year-old teacher, told AFP.

The virus exacerbates Albania’s economic woes, where the average wage is 420 euros, as the country faces massive migration, especially young and educated people migrating to countries such as Germany or Italy.

It has been two years since this country of 2.8 million people was in a political crisis and part of the opposition boycotted the parliament.

MSI is waiting

Eddie Rama presents himself as a captain facing the storm and running for a third term against the center-right Democratic Party, which has allied itself with a dozen other parties.

He is awaited by MSI, which was founded by President Ilir Meta, a staunch opponent of the prime minister, and has often been a regulator.

Brussels has said yes to opening accession talks with Tirana without setting a date, and all prime ministerial candidates have vowed to bring about the necessary changes, starting with judicial reform and the fight against organized crime.

Eddy Rama accuses his opponents of having as their only program and common ground the idea of ​​”giving a final battle against the prime minister”.

Rama calls for time to end infrastructure projects hampered by the pandemic, to continue rebuilding the thousands of homes destroyed by the quake.

Rama, 56, is betting on a massive campaign vaccination, promising to vaccinate 500,000 Albanians by the end of June against a virus that has claimed the lives of some 2,400 people.

Opposite him, the opposition promises to boost the economy by supporting small businesses and blames the outgoing prime minister for everything.

Edi Rama “manipulated the results of the previous elections, got his hands on the economy along with a bunch of people, controls all the powers and obstructs Albania’s European prospects”, emphasizes Lulzim Basha, 46 years old, leader of the Democrats. “His departure is the only solution to liberate Albania.”

He denies everything and accuses his opponents of being afraid of the judicial reform he is carrying out.

Albanian political life is often characterized by verbal exaggerations and inflammatory rhetoric

Despite calls from Western embassies for restraint, the election campaign has been tense in recent days, with the death of a Socialist party member in an exchange of fire with Democrat supporters amid accusations of vote-buying.

«Good conduct of the electoral process (μέ) helps to measure the degree of national political maturityWarns Vincenzo Del Monaco, the ambassador to Tirana of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which will deploy dozens of observers to oversee the vote.

In order to limit the possibility of fraud and in line with Western expectations, the electoral code has been reformed and for the first time the identity of voters will be confirmed by electronic means.

Although the few polls give the Socialists the upper hand, the outcome of the vote remains uncertain and “the last days will be crucial for the vote of the undecided,” said analyst Lutfi Dervisi.

In the face of high levels of corruption and impunity, many are pinning their hopes on young, anti-abuse judiciary, rather than the political establishment.

“I will vote, but I am convinced that change in this country will come from justice, which must imprison corrupt politicians and other corrupt officials as soon as possible, whatever their political position,” said Sonny. Luca, 31, a teacher in Tirana.

According to the Central Election Commission, the parties’ results will be announced two days after the vote.