The “New Opposition” will bring in Albania may be a new Wind blowing in the political landscape, says Balkan expert Johanna Deimel. It is important, however, to observe the democratic rules.
DW: There are protests in Albania. How do you see these repeated demonstrations of the Opposition, with the aim to install a new government of Edi Rama?
Johanna Deimel: in Principle, demonstrations are provided that you will be peaceful, a fundamental democratic right. Unfortunately, however, initiated in Albania in the recent past, demonstrations of the Opposition, and abused, by force, and have led to severe political crises. The accusations are repeated: when the socialists were in the Opposition, has accused the democratic party of corruption and Links to criminal structures. Now it is the democratic party (DP), which provides Edi Rama these Compounds. The demonstrations and these means of engagement, which are also associated with the boycott of Parliament, and even with the resignation of many opposition politicians, have once again brought more to a very explosive political Situation in Albania. The confrontational course of the two bearings, characterized in Albania, unfortunately, for far too long. It may not be a means of political confrontation in the Parliament to undermine the work of Parliament to overturn it. A democracy needs the common struggle between the government and the Opposition to dialogue and compromise.
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The Opposition has placed their Deputy mandates, now new members, but by the Central election Commission of the lists proposed, and some have even filed your oath in Parliament. How do you see this step – to create a new Opposition within the previous Opposition?
The delivery of the mandates of the 57 opposition politicians was, in my opinion, highly politically irresponsible and a slap throws light also on the internal party Constitution, by arrangement, from above, of the party leaders, deputies to resign their mandate. These members of Parliament are obliged by the people’s elected representatives in a parliamentary democracy to their constituents.
However, the bill for Basha here’s democratic party and the Socialist movement for Integration (LSI), a complete paralysis of the parliamentary democracy, not risen. Some members have denied the instruction, and keep their mandate in an upright position. That the successors of the LSI, or those of the DP, and the want to keep your mandate, are now to be expelled from the party, also shows the urgency for electoral reform.
Candidates of the parties must be placed in an open, democratic process through party meetings and may be not only purely formal space-filler, as can be seen now clearly. The closed lists, as they were agreed in 2008 between Rama and Basha, you are now on the feet. There must be an open list in the future. However, the party lists and the candidates in 2017 has been chosen. Therefore, I believe that the Central election Commission, the right of the choice list by 2017, the parties concerned and the vacancies by subsequent candidates on the respective party lists occupied – if they are willing to take on the mandate. Is this the right way and has nothing to do with the fact that the Central election Commission wants to create an Opposition within the Opposition.
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Will these new members who wish to establish a parliamentary group, the solution or you are going to aggravate the situation more? They will be rejected by the party of Origin.
We will see what will become of the “new Opposition”, which is formed by seven DP members. Perhaps, but this is the nucleus of a new political force, which will bring new Wind and the debilitating confrontational bipolar System can leave. It is also, perhaps, the twilight of the gods for Basha. If it with this new Opposition were to succeed in parliamentary work between the government and the Opposition to resume, that can only be good for the country, and perhaps, or just because it is rejected by the original party in its current Constitution.
There is a deep distrust, PD, and LSI raise allegations that the Socialist party (PS) and Edi Rama has decided the last election through vote-buying. There are Audio recordings are mentioned, the witnesses of the Compounds of the policy to some Criminals, who should have realized the vote buying. The European Union says that this is a question for the judiciary, the Opposition says, the judicial system maintains certain files, because it is politically influenced. Therefore, the extreme step of mandates-a waiver, and the mobilization on the street. This is not a dead point in the Albanian politics?
The recordings, of which Voice of America reported in early February, will show the vote buying on the part of the Socialist party. Unfortunately, vote buying in the last parliamentary elections, a well-known phenomenon, the OSCE election observers have reported corresponding irregularities. The Problem is that then nothing happened.
All the political parties in Albania have accepted the results of the election in 2017, and we, the International, especially the EU, have done so as well. It is, therefore, in principle, if the judicial and legal process and steps on the part of the EU, reference is made. Also, if the judiciary is not equivalent to European law criteria and under political influence. But we all know that there must be also a clear message, and in the event of violations of red lines from Brussels and from Washington.
The EU seems to be not so much to placement interested. You think that the sites will cope in Albania this crisis alone?
Yes, it is true that mediation by the EU is not currently provided. However, the many political visits from Brussels, from Berlin, from the US, how serious the situation is considered to be. But we must not forget that the EU negotiations with Albania will not even go straight through the Brexit, due to the upcoming European elections and the subsequent new Commission really has the necessary capacity, at least not until June 2019, when it will not join the decision for or against the inclusion of the EU.
Can Albania forget that the accession talks in June, to be opened?
As things currently Stand, there will be no accession talks. It would be a common language, we’d already have the electoral reform, on the Reform of the judiciary. It completed the court there were proceedings against high-ranking and not only small fish, which are under suspicion of corruption or criminal activities are said to be involved. We had a functioning constitutional court, for example.
Johanna Deimel is a German Balkan expert, for many years she was the Vice-Chairman of the Southeast Europe society, SUCTION.
The interview was conducted by Lindita Arapi