Yesterday, Albania’s united opposition presented their requirements for a transitional government, as well as the conditions they want to be met before they will participate in the election. The so-called “Platform for Free and Fair Elections” is a long list of basic political conditions for any democracy.
The opposition demands the government to stop hindering the justice system from investigating into the buying of votes in previous elections. It also expects the transitional government to bring to justice politicians and criminals involved in vote buying, to safeguard future elections, and to guarantee that public administration and voters won’t be intimidated in any way.
Free and fair elections can be achieved through a series of technical improvements and government’s political will to do so, according to the opposition. Measures to be taken include providing people with an ID and investigating forgery of ID cards, putting in place a functioning address book and compiling proper voters’ lists, not allowing illegal proxy vote where identities of emigrants are used to cast votes for a certain political party etc.
The transitional government should stop all abuses with public resources, including public tenders, and public-private partnerships.
The opposition calls for the police officers who have connections with criminals to be investigated, and for the police to guarantee free and safe elections.
Albania’s opposition left the parliament in February, and since then it has been staging weekly protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and the forming of a transitional government. They accuse Rama of buying votes in the 2017 election in collusion with criminal groups, corruption, and state capture.
