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Albanian Times, 96-06-23
Albanian Times
June 23, 1996
CONTENTS
[01] Papandreou Dies at 77
[02] No Fresh Election, Berisha Tells Leaders
[03] Party Leaders To Attend European Council's Debate Monday
[04] Albania Reverts to One-Party Rule, The Post Says
[05] Final Voting Results Announced
[06] Opposition Vows To Fight For New Poll
[07] Rare Metal Smugglers Caught
[08] Council of Europe Might Suspend Albania, Paper Says
[09] Berisha Sets Date To Convene New Legislature
[10] Baker's Visit Fifth Anniversary
[11] European Parliament Calls For New Vote
[12] Italy To Maintain Friendly Relations
[13] Belgrade Reacts to Kosova Shooting
[14] Self-Styled Intellectuals Call For Repeat Vote
[15] Foreign Observers Say Albania Poll Rerun Was Fair
[16] Albania Votes Despite Boycott
[01] Papandreou Dies at 77
ATHENS, June 23 - Greece's former premier Andreas Papandreou, 77, died on
Sunday at home of a heart attack after a long illness, his doctors said.``(His
symptoms) were compatible with a heart attack, which finally caused his death
at 2:30 a.m. (6:30 p.m. EDT Saturday) on Sunday, June 23, 1996,'' said a
statement by the medical team treating Papandreou at home for the past few
months. It said efforts to revive him failed. Papandreou had been
convalescing at home after a long hospital stay for heart and lung problems,
which forced him to resign as prime minister in January. He had remained
president of the ruling Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) party he formed
in 1974. (Albanian Times)
[02] No Fresh Election, Berisha Tells Leaders
CRANS MONTANA, June 22 - Albania's President Sali Berisha has categorically
ruled out fresh parliamentary elections, despite widespread charges of fraud
in the voting that ended earlier this month. "There will be no repetition of
the elections in Albania," Berisha said at an annual gathering of political
and business leaders in Crans Montana of central Switzerland Saturday. "I
state this very clearly in the name of all those who cast their vote freely in
a sovereign country," Berisha told the forum. Berisha admitted some
irregularities during the election but said "Albania could not hold as free
and fair elections as the Western European countries. But the government
achieved a victory based on 4 years of reform and democratisation." The
Albanian President promised to improve voting conditions in the coming local
elections but said "the next legislative election will be held as planned in
the year 2000, not before." Berisha has said his government would use the
mandate from the voters to consolidate democra
cy and reinforce Albania's ties with the West. But some members of the
European Parliament have suggested that E-U relations with Tirana will be
downgraded unless President Berisha agrees to a new round of balloting.
However, leaders of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE), have expressed conflicting opinions on the validity of the poll. They
will try to resolve their differences on the issue in a meeting in Stockholm
on July 5. (Albanian Times)
[03] Party Leaders To Attend European Council's Debate Monday
TIRANA, June 22 - Leaders of eight Albanian political parties are leaving for
Strasbourg to attend Monday an emergency discussion on Albania's recent
election at the European Council's political commission. The head of Albania's
ruling Democratic Party, Tritan Shehu called the discussion "a normal
procedure." "the Democratic Party will tell the council the whole truth on
the elections," Shehu told reporters before his departure. The leader of the
right-wing Republican Party, Sabri Godo dismissed the leftist opposition's
idea of holding fresh election. "Such an idea is not feasible," he said. Godo
called for dialogue and reiterated his party's proposal to hold new elections
a year from now. Albania was admitted into the European Council in June 1995.
Membership of the forum is seen as a stepping stone to joining the European
Union. (Albanian Times)
[04] Albania Reverts to One-Party Rule, The Post Says
WASHINGTON, June 22 - In another critical report by its foreign service
correspondent Christine Spolar, The Washington Post called Albania "one of the
most controversial examples of democracy in the region." The Albanian ruling
party is betting the world will turn a blind eye to the most criticized
elections in post-communist Eastern Europe and has begun forming a government
for what essentially will be a one-party state, the prestigious daily said in
its Saturday issue. Critics who say Albania could be jeopardizing
international aid or membership in such sought-after entities as the Council
of Europe have not moved the ruling party, Spolar says. Quoting local
analysts, Spolar notes that the flawed election "shows the marks of political
immaturity, a weak understanding of the need for democratic institutions and
the deep, and somewhat disconcerting, insecurity of the Democratic Party and
Berisha, who came to power in 1992 on the strength of his anti-Communist
stance." (Albanian Times)
[05] Final Voting Results Announced
TIRANA, June 21 - Albania's ruling Democratic Party won 122 seats, or more
than 87 percent of parliament, in a two-round general election on May 26 and
June 2, state-run Radio Tirana said on Friday, quoting official final results.
The Socialist Party, the former communists, which boycotted the polls with
most other opposition parties, won 10 seats. The right-wing Republican Party
(RP) won three seats, the ethnic Greek Human Right Union Party (HRUP) three
seats and the National Front Party (NFP) two, the radio said. Albanians voted
directly in 115 constituencies, where the Democrats secured 105 mandates. An
additional 25 seats were allocated on a proportional basis according to party
lists. The Democrats received 55.5 percent of all votes cast, giving them
another 17 deputies in parliament. Although the Socialists came in second with
20.4 percent, they won only five proportional seats to add to their five
direct mandates. In Albania's last parliament, the Democrats held 84 seats
and the Socialists 37. (Alb
anian Times)
[06] Opposition Vows To Fight For New Poll
TIRANA, June 21 - Albania's main opposition vowed on Friday to fight for a new
poll as pressure from the West mounted over alleged vote rigging. The
Socialist Party, the former communists who boycotted the election with most
other opposition parties, said the results were invalid and refused to
acknowledge the 10 seats they won in the one-chamber legislature. Western
governments criticised the election as unfair following a report by election
monitors of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
who said the poll failed to meet international standards. The European
Parliament urged Berisha to hold a fresh election. The vote will also be the
subject of an emergency debate next week at the Council of Europe which
admitted Albania last year. The United States said on Wednesday it was
dissatisfied with a partial re-run ordered by Berisha last Sunday and
suggested Albania work with the Vienna-based OSCE to resolve the discrepancies.
Berisha government dismissed European Parliament's resolut
ion saying the assembly was controlled by the left. The Electoral Commission
said some of the OSCE monitors had been collaborators of the late Stalinist
dictator Enver Hoxha, a charge brushed off by diplomats as ``completely
unfounded.'' (Albanian Times/Reuter/AP)
[07] Rare Metal Smugglers Caught
SKOPJE, June 20 - Macedonian police have caught three smugglers with the
valuable but highly toxic metal osmium 187, which they suspect came via
Albania. The trio was found with a total of 20 grams of osmium in four
ampules that they planned to sell to foreign buyers for $25,000 a gram.
Macedonia has no natural sources of osmium of its own, and the police said it
probably came from Ukraine, via neighbouring Albania. Osmium, named for its
penetrating odour, is the heaviest known element, and is used to harden alloys
in the chemical and machine industries. (Albanian Times/Reuters)
[08] Council of Europe Might Suspend Albania, Paper Says
TIRANA, June 20 - The Council of Europe might suspend Albania's year-old
membership in the forum following a general election widely criticised as
unfair, Albanian daily Koha Jone said on Thursday. A majority of delegates in
the Council were prepared to push for a speedy motion to suspend the ex-
communist country, a Swiss delegate said in a letter to a senior opposition
figure, according to the paper. ``I think Albania should be suspended from
the Council of Europe until the re-holding of new and free elections,'' the
daily quoted Victor Ruffy, Council of Europe reporteur on Albania, as saying
in the letter to Socialist Party Vice-Chairman Namik Dokle. Albania's entry
in June 1995 into the 38-member organisation, which
promotes democracy and human rights in Europe, was hailed by Berisha's
government as a victory for its reforms. Membership of the forum is seen by
many eastern European states as a stepping stone to joining the European
Union. (Albanian Times/Reuters)
[09] Berisha Sets Date To Convene New Legislature
TIRANA, June 19 - Albanian President Sali Berisha on Wednesday decreed that
the country's new parliament would convene on July 1. The decree was issued
despite harsh criticism by the West to Albania's recent general election,
which international monitors said was severely flawed. Berisha has rejected
Western attacks, insisting the vote was free and fair. (Albanian Times)
[10] Baker's Visit Fifth Anniversary
TIRANA, June 21 - Five years ago, on June 21, 1991 an estimated 200,000
Albanians turned out in the capital Tirana to cheer visiting U.S. Secretary of
State James A. Baker III. The overpour of popular joy over the visit
pleasantly surprised Baker who was the highest U.S. official to enter the
former communist state. Baker has given an extensive and vivid account of the
cheering Albanians in his memoirs entitled "The Politics Of Diplomacy."
(Albanian Times)
[11] European Parliament Calls For New Vote
STRASBOURG, June 20 - The European Parliament urged Albania on Thursday to
annul its recent general elections. ``The negative events that took place
during these elections represent a clear setback as regards the development of
a full democracy and respect for the rule of law,'' it said. The European
Parliament urged EU governments to make clear to Tirana that
closer cooperation with the 15-nation bloc would depend on elections
organised with full respect for international standards. "The Parliament wants
the Commission and the Council to postpone all further cooperation between the
EU and Albania until respect for democracy and human rights is restored and
fresh elections held," it said. Commissioner Manuel Marin said respect for
democratic rules and international law would be crucial aspects in future
relations of the EU with Albania. (Albanian Times/EU press release)
[12] Italy To Maintain Friendly Relations
ROME, June 20 - Italy said it intends to maintain friendly relations with
Albania despite international criticism on the recent elections. Foreign
Affairs Undersecretary Rino Serri told the Chamber of Deputies the government
agreed that the election resulted in ''only a partial political
representation of the country, since some political components
withdrew from them.'' However Italy did not back calls for a re-run of
the
election in view of ''the extreme delicacy of the balances in
the Balkan area and the need to avoid even the smallest cause of
instability.'' ''The first requirement is to work in Albania for the
resumption as soon as possible of dialogue between all the parties without
prejudice," Serri said. ''The local elections due next year will make
it
possible to verify whether all the democratic guarantees have been restores,"
he added. The minister said he considered much of the criticism of the recent
elections unfounded, and blamed it on exaggeration by the media. (Albanian
Times/ANSA)
[13] Belgrade Reacts to Kosova Shooting
BELGRADE, June 19 - Yugoslav Interior Minister Vukasin Jokanovic said on
Wednesday that guerrilla attacks in Kosova must be curbed following a series
of shootings, the state-run Tanjug news agency reported. Tanjug quoted
Jokanovic as saying that the ethnic Albanian separatist movement in Kosovo was
striving to ``maintain a tense atmosphere and even create new tensions'' with
the attacks. One policeman was shot dead and another seriously wounded when
four bullets hit their police car on Monday near the town of Podujevo in one
of three attacks reported this week in the predominantly Albanian province.
Unidentified gunmen also opened automatic weapons fire on Serb police in the
village of Luzhan and the town of Mitrovica, the Serbian Interior Ministry
said. Assailants threw a hand grenade in the attack on the Luzhan police
station, the ministry added. (Albanian Times)
[14] Self-Styled Intellectuals Call For Repeat Vote
TIRANA, June 16 - A group of self-styled Albanian intellectuals have called on
the United States, the European Union, the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and other international
organizations not to accept the recent elections in Albania. The group,
including writers, artists and scientists, mostly sons and daughters of former
communist officials, insists Albania is going back to authoritarian rule and
calls on the Western countries to pressure the regime into repeating the vote.
(Albanian Times)
[15] Foreign Observers Say Albania Poll Rerun Was Fair
TIRANA, June 17 - Albania's ruling Democrats won a clean sweep in a partial re-
run of a disputed general election, vote officials said on Monday.
Results from Sunday's ballot confirmed the conservative Democratic Party's
landslide win in the ex-communist state's third multi-party polls, which were
boycotted by the opposition and criticised by international observers.
But the smattering of foreign monitors who watched the re-run in 17 of the
country's 115 constituencies said Sunday's election had been free and
fair.
"From the preliminary data we have from Sunday's vote it appears the (ruling)
Democratic Party has won in these (17) constituencies," said Edmir Kapidani,
chairman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) which organised the poll.
The observer team of 19 parliamentarians from Italy, Austria, France, Ireland
and Poland said it had not observed a single disturbing incident during the
vote. "We saw absolute freedom of voting, the regularity of the whole
electoral operation, the serene and conscious participation of the
electorate," said conservative Italian member of parliament Sandro Delmastro
delle Vedove, speaking on behalf of the group. "The election commission
carried out their duties correctly...and we noted the total absence of any
intimidation, violence or constriction," he told reporters. Voter
participation in Sunday's repeat election was 69,43 percent or 76,4 percent of
the May 26 turnout. 24,4681 out of 36,2416 registred voters took part in the
election rerun. The results are as follows:
11-Puke.....Ndue Ded Çuni-DP.............9550.....62.85%
24-Mat......Idriz Daut Xhamara-DP.......10968.....66.88%
42-Tirane...Fadil Tahir Kepi-DP..........9128.....69.50%
62-Peqin....Ali Ethem Gripshi-DP........14281.....86.05%
67-Elbasan..Kozma Kozma Tavanxhi-DP......9953.....70.03%
69-Elbasan..Bardhyl Riza Musai-DP.......11030.....71.31%
75-Lushnje..Agim Kasem Fuga-DP..........10717.....61.95%
81-Fier.....Vasil Lluk Ndreka-DP........10571.....74.91%
82-Fier.....Iliaz Ali Vrioni-DP..........9544.....77.81%
89-Berat....Mirko Anastas Haxhistasa-DP.14382.....87.02%
90-Kucove...Vili Shefki Minarolli-DP....10453.....78.59%
92-Korce....Bujar Hysni Isak-DP..........6546.....67.30%
94-Korce....Kleri Petraq Kasimati-DP.....7297.....66.29%
101-Tepelene.Blerim Neim Cela-DP..........7333.....78.83%
104-Vlore....Shpetim Maliq Mezini-DP......8313.....65.71%
113-Delvine..Burim Xhelil Husi-DP........10027.....73.16%
115-Sarande..Leonard Petrit Demi-DP.......6250.....73.66%
[16] Albania Votes Despite Boycott
TIRANA, June 16 - Despite an opposition boycott, new elections were held
Sunday in 17 districts where irregularities may have helped Albania's
governing party win last month's parliamentary elections. The opposition said
the new vote was too limited to make up for reports of widespread ballot
fraud, intimidation at polling stations and clashes between police and
opposition supporters in May 26 elections. Two opposition parties the
Democratic Alliance and the Social Democratic Party failed in a last-minute
bid to have Sunday's voting declared illegal. (Albanian Times)
This material was reprinted with permission of AlbAmerica Trade & Consulting
International. For more information on ATCI and the Albanian Times, please
write to AlbaTimes@aol.com
Copyright © ATCI, 1996
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