[ALBSA-Info] Tension Surrounds Albania Elections

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Tension Surrounds Albania Elections

By MERITA DHIMGJOKA        October 1,  2000

TIRANA, Albania (AP) - The elections are about municipal officials. But 
something more is being put to the test Sunday - whether Albanians can hold 
an important vote without violence. 

At final rallies Friday, the main parties in the elections described each 
other in mutually derogatory terms - ``criminals'' and ``thieves'' - stoking 
worries of a repeat of the political clashes that have followed many previous 
elections in Europe's poorest nation. 

The United States and other Western governments have expressed concern over 
the level of tension between the rival groups - the governing Socialist Party 
and the opposition Democratic Party of former President Sali Berisha. 

The U.S. State Department called on all parties to seek ``a calm electoral 
atmosphere.'' 

But Albanian authorities prepared for the worst. The army took over security 
of state institutions, and the national guard watched government buildings in 
Tirana, where the mayoral race is one of the key posts up for grabs. 

In total, the voting covers about 400 local offices. The results, expected on 
Monday, are considered an important test in advance of next year's national 
elections. 

Berisha asked his supporters to gather shortly after polling stations close 
to celebrate victory. But Western officials worry such gatherings could spark 
unrest as they have in the past. In 1998, a mob stormed government buildings 
and burned the prime minister's office following the killing of a prominent 
opposition leader. 

The ambassador of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 
Geert Ahrens, warned Berisha to call off the rallies and wait until the 
election results. 

The OSCE, which is overseeing the elections, also rejected Berisha's claim 
that many people were left off voting lists and could be ``impossible for us 
to recognize the outcome of this process.'' 

The last local elections were held in October 1996. Western observers 
described them as marred by irregularities and intimidation. 

Berisha resigned as president and his government stepped down in 1997 after 
popular unrest caused by the collapse of investment schemes that cost many 
Albanians their life savings.