Basha updates EPP with opposition’s elections concerns

26/06/2015 00:00

The Democratic Party leader, Lulzim Basha, was part of the meetings of
the European Popular Parties, before the Euroepan Summit of EU
governments and country leaders.

Basha said his talks focused on the elections of Albania, and the European Popular Parties shared deep concerns about the violation of electoral standards, as noted by the report of OSCE-ODIHR and of the representatives of the Council of Europe and Foreign Embassies in Tirana.

The opposition leader listed his concerns about the elections and declared that the “broken result” would not be recognized by the Democratic Party.

“The Democratic Party has documented cases that have been presented to the international institutions, although  not always to the media, since we didn’t want to intimidate voters. However, despite the extraordinary pressure, the  Albanian opposition and the DP has made it with the formal result, which is much lower than what the real result would have been without the pressure and vote purchasing machinery. The opposition has increased its support while the support for the government has visibly decreased, as seen by the CEC figures”, the DP leader declared.

Basha reiterated the critics against Rama and Meta.

“There is no chance that we will recognize the extraordinary abuse made in these elections by using the criminal contingent, dirty money, used institutions, intimidation of voters, usage of public administration. We would betray the citizens and the Albanian democracy if we closed our eyes in front of this reality. Our battle is to bring to justice those who dared violate the free will of the Albanian citizens and democratic standards. Certainly, the Rama-Meta duo are the architects of the destruction of democratic standards and the Democratic Party, together with the opposition and the free Albanian citizens, will continue a battle without return to bring those responsible to justice. I am convinced that in this battle we have full support of the international institutions. The Democratic Party has behaved like a party that respects the rule of law and the institutional framework of the country. We have done our duty and will continue doing it, but this will not stop us from fighting to protect the Albanian democracy that comes through the return of the standards that were removed on June 21st”, Basha declared.

The Albanian opposition leader easily convinced the leader of the Foreign Committee of the European Parliament, Elmar Brok, member of the same political family, who, “disappointed by the elections”, declared that he would inform the European Parliament Members of the committee he leads, by using the space allowed to him by the right to lead the session for various announcements.

“I think that the preliminary ODIHR report is extraordinary. If half of what is written there is true, then we can say there was a major manipulation of the elections and I will include this report at the Foreign Committee. I will inform the members and will see how it goes, because there is a lot of manipulation. I am deeply concerned. However, regardless of this, Edi Rama’s party lost 20% of the votes. This is justice”, Brok declared.

But Johannes Hahn, the Commissioner for European Neighboring and Enlargement Negotiations, despite being of the same electoral family, was not so convinced while leaving the EPP building. He said he met with Basha, but he would wait for the final OSCE-ODIHR report before commenting about the local elections.
Sources at the Hahn office said for Top Channel that Basha did not mention any idea of not recognizing the elections, but about irregularities that will be treated in the future. While the decriminalization process is considered a lost chance with these elections.

Basha said that many European leaders have expressed their concerns about immigrants in general, and especially asylum seekers from Balkan. This was also based on the request of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Orban, for holding an European summit on this issue in Budapest.

Prepared by: Arta Tozaj

Top Channel