[NYC-L] [Fwd: What would the Albanian Diaspora like to ask Ilir Meta?]

[Keti Spahiu Vata]

Q: How does it feel when you win and the Albanian people lose?



 

> Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2009 20:23:55 -0400
> From: ebujari at gmail.com
> To: nyc-l at alb-net.com
> Subject: [NYC-L] [Fwd: What would the Albanian Diaspora like to ask Ilir Meta?]
> 
> === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum ===
> 
> Bounced back before--took out the pic.
> 
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: What would the Albanian Diaspora like to ask Ilir Meta?
> Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:18:37 -0400
> From: Erkanda Bujari <ebujari at gmail.com>
> To: NYC Albanian List <nyc-l at alb-net.com>
> CC: ebujari at gmail.com
> 
> 
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I might get a chance for an interview with Ilir Meta, head of LSI, 3rd 
> runner up party in the Albanian elections. He recently agreed to get 
> into coalition with the Democrats of Berisha to form the new gov.
> 
> I thought it would be of interest to know what Albanians of the Diaspora 
> think of this and what would they like to ask Meta. I would transmit it 
> to him.
> 
> I wrote an article, see below, a couple of days ago on the elections. 
> For those who live in NYC they probably have seen Epoch Times in the 
> yellow and blue boxes on the side of the streets. ET, in its content and 
> approach to the stories, upholds universal human values, rights, and 
> freedoms. The stories are authentically local, yet also globally 
> relevant. It's an independent paper, like few out there, thus it reports 
> a diversity of opinions. Check it out.
> 
> Erkanda
> 
> 
> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/19018/
> 
> 
> No Clear Winner in the Albanian Election
> 
> By Erkanda Bujari Jul 2, 2009
> 
> Related articles: World 
> <http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/component/option,com_etsection/sectionid,1/> 
> > Europe 
> <http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/component/option,com_etcategory/sectionid,1/categoryid,23/> 
> 
> 
> 
> <http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/stories/large/2009/07/02/AlbanianElection.jpg> 
> 
> An Albanian woman deposits her ballot while other citizens fill out 
> ballots and monitor the election. (The Epoch Times)
> Albanians voted on June 28 for the seventh time since the fall of 
> communism and the establishment of a multi-party system. In nearly all 
> past elections, the parties have accused each other of vote-rigging and 
> manipulations. This last election is no exception.
> 
> The elections were seen as a test to whether the country has embraced 
> democratic standards and as a stepping stone to the country’s admittance 
> to the European Union <http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/#>. Albania 
> submitted its application to join the EU last April right after gaining 
> membership in NATO.
> 
> Voters turned out in big numbers to cast their ballot for what seems to 
> be a battle between two biggest parties, the governing Democrats and the 
> challenging Socialists. Many of the international organizations 
> monitoring the election agreed on one point, that while there were 
> improvements compared to previous years, the standards had not been met 
> and many irregularities were recorded.
> 
> Problems cited included irregularities in procedures and a widespread 
> 'family voting.' Family voting is a an exploitable loophole in the 
> election rules that allows vision impaired, usually elderly, voters to 
> have an accompanying 'family member' cast the vote on their behalf.
> 
> In an interview with the BBC Albanian Service, Jens-Hagen Eschenbacher, 
> spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in 
> Europe, said, that the OECD has "observed problems and violations, in 
> particular during the campaign, for example, pressure on voters and the 
> use of state resources for electoral purposes.”
> 
> Concurring with these findings, the U.S. Ambassador to Albania issued a 
> statement saying that although the International Election Monitoring 
> Mission's preliminary report characterizes these elections as "an 
> improvement over past practices," the report "also expresses concern 
> over remaining flaws in the process.” As the ballot counting continues, 
> the international monitors’ duty is far from over.
> 
> There were 100 ballot boxes left to be counted as of Wednesday night, 
> but there is still no clear winner. The Democrats declared they had won 
> the election obtaining 71 out of 140 parliamentary seats on Wednesday 
> but this has not been confirmed by election commission officials. 
> According to News 24, an all-day TV news channel in Albania, Socialist 
> leader, Edi Rama, accused the Democrats on Wednesday of interfering with 
> the counting process, stating that the race is not over.
> 
> The confusion is expected to clear up by the end of the week when the 
> remaining ballots are counted and the election commission declares the 
> winner.
> 
> /Erkanda Bujari is a free-lance reporter who monitors and reports on the 
> events of the Albanian communities worldwide./
> 
> 
> 
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