[ALBSA-Info] Albanian opposition wants partial election rerun

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Albanian opposition wants partial election rerun

By Linda Spahia

  
TIRANA, July 9 (Reuters) - Albania's opposition Democrats called on Monday 
for a partial rerun of the general election, alleging ballot-rigging and 
police interference in the run-off vote which the ruling Socialists said they 
won by a landslide. 

International observers said Sunday's ballot "confirmed progress towards 
international standards for democratic elections," but there had been 
"serious concerns." 

"These were the best elections conducted in this country but they were not 
perfect," Nikolai Vulchanov, head of an observation team from the 
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), told a news 
conference. 

The general election was the first since Albania plunged into anarchy in 1997 
after the collapse of fraudulent investment schemes. The Balkan country has 
been broadly stable since 1998. 

Prime Minister Ilir Meta's ruling Socialist Party claimed a landslide victory 
after the second round vote, which generally passed off calmly with no 
significant incidents of violence. 

But the opposition Democratic Party demanded a rerun in 20 seats, saying that 
police had pressured polling officials and manipulated results. 

"We categorically cannot accept a result dictated by violence and terror," 
opposition leader and former president Sali Berisha said in a radio 
interview. 

Berisha's deputy Jozefina Topalli said the opposition would ask for a rerun 
in all those constituencies "where the result was beset by violence, 
falsification and terror." 

The Democratic Party said it planned to file a complaint to the European 
Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. 

Official results were expected by Wednesday. 

OBSERVERS GUARDED 

International monitors from the Council of Europe and the OSCE gave a broadly 
favourable assessment of the conduct of the election but were more guarded 
than in their verdict on the first round. 

"Most polling stations functioned well and generally voting proceeded without 
incident," the two organisations said in a statement. 

"However, the international observers reported a number of serious concerns, 
including isolated cases of police interference, detentions of election 
commission members and ballot stuffing." 

Socialist Party leader Fatos Nano told Reuters by telephone his party "was 
happy with the result and the correct manner in which the election was 
conducted despite some isolated problems and irregularities." 

The Socialists, who won 33 of 100 seats in the first round on June 24, said 
they had taken 37 more seats on Sunday against five won by the opposition, 
who took 17 in the first round. 

A remaining 40 seats in the 140-seat single-chamber parliament will be 
allocated to the parties in proportion to the share of the overall vote they 
achieved. 

Nano said the results meant that together with their allies the Socialists 
had a big enough majority to choose a new president next year. 

President Rexhep Meidani's five-year term expires next June and parliament 
will choose a successor.