An Albanian voter casts her ballot in Tirana, Albania, June 23, 2013.
Albanians are going to the
polls Sunday in an election that could affect the country's entry into the
European Union.
The West is watching the election closely for signs of misconduct. Albania has not had an election deemed to be free and fair since the fall of the Communist regime in 1991. Europe has been concerned about the erosion of democracy in the country, and another failure to hold fair elections could endanger Albania's entry into the EU.
Opinion polls indicate a narrow victory for the Socialist Party of former Tirana Mayor Edi Rama, who lost in 2009 to Prime Minister Sali Berisha's ruling coalition.
The West is watching the election closely for signs of misconduct. Albania has not had an election deemed to be free and fair since the fall of the Communist regime in 1991. Europe has been concerned about the erosion of democracy in the country, and another failure to hold fair elections could endanger Albania's entry into the EU.
Opinion polls indicate a narrow victory for the Socialist Party of former Tirana Mayor Edi Rama, who lost in 2009 to Prime Minister Sali Berisha's ruling coalition.
The results will be determined by a court, since the top electoral commission is paralyzed by the resignation in April of three of its seven members over a political dispute.
One person was killed and at least one other was wounded in the northwestern town of Lac on Sunday, in what police say could have been an election-related shooting.
No comments:
Post a Comment
yes