[ALBSA-Info] Second round of Albania poll less transparent-OSCE

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Second round of Albania poll less transparent-OSCE
  
TIRANA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Europe's election watchdog, the OSCE, said on 
Monday the second round of Albanian local elections was less transparent than 
the first, but it ruled out any impact on the overall result. 

The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said the 
campaign for Sunday's second round vote was marred by "nationalistic 
rhetoric" in the Himare area of southwest Albania, facing Corfu, where there 
is a sizeable Greek speaking minority. 

Greece expressed concern that there were violations in southern Albania, 
adding there was "a democratic deficit" in its northern neighbour that could 
affect relations with Greece and the European Union. 

The ruling Socialist Party won both rounds of the local polls. The main 
opposition Democratic Party, charging there was manipulation in the first 
round vote on October 1, told its candidates to quit what it called an 
"electoral carnival." 

"While the first round of the local government...marked significant progress 
towards meeting the standards for democratic elections, the second round on 
15 October was less transparent and inclusive," the ODIHR said. 

Eugenio Polizzi, head of the ODIHR which monitored the vote along with a 
delegation from the council of Europe, said the irregularities would not 
influence the outcome, however. 

The vote, the first political test since the anarchy of 1997 and a dry run 
for next year's general election, passed off in an orderly fashion. 

IRREGULARITIES AND NATIONALISTIC RHETORIC 

In Himare, the withdrawal of the Democrats from the second round led to a 
race between the Socialist Party candidate and an ethnic Greek candidate of 
the Union for Human Rights Party. 

"In Himare, the situation was marked by some serious irregularities ranging 
from the intimidation of commission members to one case of violence in which 
a ballot box was destroyed, to verified evidence of fraud in at least three 
other voting centres," the ODIHR statement said. 

It urged the Albanian authorities to investigate the irregularities fully. 

The Socialist candidate won in Himare, gaining 1,870 votes compared to 690 
cast in favour of his rival. 

Albanian government spokesman Thoma Gellci said the local polls were proof 
democracy had taken root in Albania and pledged to work with the ODIHR to 
repair any mistakes. 

"An artificial climate of tension was created in Himare to depict an election 
race between two Albanian parties as an ethnic competition," Gellci told 
Reuters.