The EU has once again postponed the decision on the accession negotiations with Northern Macedonia and Albania. The main reason is that reservations about Albania. The country is in a deep crisis in Democracy.
30. June will take place in Albania, local elections. Thus, riots are inevitable. A taste of what you got on Tuesday (18.06.) in a primary school in the North Albanian city of Shkodra to be felt, to serve as a polling station. Opposition supporters threw incendiary devices at the school in an attempt to destroy the election materials. Similar was also in Northern Albania Tropoja. The Opposition feels such kind of Sabotage, at least since the 10. June legitimized as the President of Ilir Meta, the date of the election cancelled because of feared unrest. The Socialist party of Prime Minister Edi Rama, declared the decision unconstitutional and initiated in the Parliament, a procedure for its deposition.
Since February, the Socialist party in the Albanian Parliament is virtually alone predominate, apart from a few opposition members that were not followed by the reputation of their parties on resignation of the mandate. The two main opposition groupings, the Alliance of the democratic party (PD) and the Socialist movement for Integration (LSI), had chosen to take this radical step after in the Albanian press recordings have been published, which demonstrate that the parliamentary elections in 2017, which the socialists won the absolute majority by buying votes had been manipulated with the help of organized crime.
Difficult guest in Berlin: Edi Rama at the end of April to visit with Angela Merkel
In a DW Interview, the leader of the opposition, Lulzim Basha, said that he sees a solution to the conflict only, when the socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign and a provisional government will be used. In addition, early elections would have to be recognized.
After further recordings were made public, to prove that the elections were manipulated by vote-buying. This time, they were published on the Online pages of the German tabloid “Bild”. Prime Minister and socialist-in-chief Edi Rama denies the allegations and threatens the German image journalist Peter Tiede, the now celebrated by the Opposition and many Albanians as a Hero, with a suit.
However, no doubt in Albania as to the authenticity of the recordings. From the files of the Prosecutor’s office, which you initially thought was under lock and key and only by means of the publication of which we were obliged to investigate the matter. So far, however, it was still not filed charges because of election manipulation, the Albanian General Prosecutor’s office on Tuesday at the request of the Deutsche Welle said.
Reform of the judiciary and judicial crisis
The spread of cases is now a Problem of the whole Albanian judicial system. Not only the Prosecutor’s office suffers. Also, the constitutional court, this would be the instance that could resolve the dispute between the President and the Parliament, without a quorum. The reason is the so-called Vetting process, the conditions, the Review of judges and prosecutors according to their professional qualifications, assets and whose occupation is to review ethical Suitability, and many judges and prosecutors has led to make your chair before you were ever verified. Others were not able to compete due to the strict criteria of the EU-monitored review Commission and failed.
There are rumblings in the country: the opposition protest on 8. June against the government in Tirana
In the case of these institutions the records stacking up for years. For Jordan Daci, head of the “Albania Rule of Law Center”, is the main problem of the Albanian judicial reform, “is that it lacks an efficient mechanism to judges and prosecutors to replace the out of the System through the Vetting process by the fall”. The paralysis of the judicial system meant that every year, around 30 percent of new cases, which were due to the lack of personnel unprocessed. Alone in the Supreme court of 31,000 such cases, Daci wait in a DW Interview.
For the justice of the blockade in the country, the government and the Opposition make each other responsible. While the Opposition, the government accused, to use the judicial blockade to destroy the opposition parties and to establish a dictatorship, before throwing the majority party, the leader of the Opposition, to use the Boycott only as an Alibi to prevent the establishment of an independent judiciary, of which he as the first one could be condemned. Currently, the Alba identify niches authorities against opposition leader Basha for money laundering and falsification of documents in connection with a party fundraising affair in the United States.
Mediation efforts without success
In the autumn, the German Bundestag, Albania and North to give Macedonia the green light for the start of EU accession talks. While for the opening of talks with Northern Macedonia rather a Consensus among the majority of the members prevails, there are over Albania had reservations.
The leader of the opposition Lulzim Basha on 2. June, in front of supporters in Tirana
In particular, the deputies of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, reluctant to open Albania in this Situation, the important door to the EU. The Vice-Chairman Johann David Wadephul would like to, at least, that the current crisis in the country and evaluated the Adherence to the local elections without the main opposition party as problematic for democracy. Because half of the mayor candidates will have no competitors from other parties. Until recently, the CDU has sought foreign politicians to mediate between the government and the Opposition in order to avoid at least a possible confrontation with the local elections. So far, without success.
The socialist party was to speak for a postponement of the elections, BelTA learned from the leadership. She wanted to allow a precedent of extortion by a Boycott. In addition, it accuses the Opposition only from a lack of preparation not to participate in elections. Also, the green Rapporteur in the Bundestag, Manuel Sarrazin, finds that the Boycott of the Opposition was not justified. It is merely a power struggle between Rama and Basha. This fight is very unfavorable in view of the forthcoming decision in the Bundestag, so Sarrazin in a DW Interview. However, the Green politician stressed that his group, like the SPD, for the start of accession talks for both countries, Albania and Northern Macedonia, will vote, no matter who wins the power struggle in Albania.